Lent Beginnings

I had so much trouble choosing our first verses. I feel the pressure of opening day! I want you to stick around, so I wanted impactful first prayers. These next three are some of the best prayers right out of scripture. I will be repeating these prays. I will actually be writing them out AGAIN over the weekend. I recommend it. We are to meditate on God’s word day and night according to Psalm 1, so I am going to mean it with every rewritten word.

Each week you will get 5 days of prayers in your inbox. I’ll be using them Monday- Friday and repeating my favorites on Saturday and Sunday. You can use them however you want. I hope you share them!! Seriously, feel free to give them to friends!

Day 1

Hide your face from my sins and blot out my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:9-12

I love that the Bible assures us that the person who remembers my sin is me.

God removes it as far as the east is from the west. I don’t think I can hear this truth enough.

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:11,12). I have the worst time remembering this about God. He can choose to forget, and that is in fact what He chooses to do with my forgiven sin. When He looks at me, He doesn't see it.

Father, create in me a clean heart. Give it a good refreshing scrub. Thank you that you choose to remove my sin so that your spirit can restore me with the joy of my salvation.   God uphold me with a willing spirit to be searched by you so that you can bring me freedom and purpose.

Day 2

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Psalm 139:23&24

Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me;Cross-examine and test me,    get a clear picture of what I’m about;See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—    then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Psalm 139 Message Paraphrase

Of all the things that are a mystery to me, my heart is foremost. Am I angry? Am I hurt? Am I being too emotional? Am I just hangry? God knows my heart in ways I can’t. I need God to shed light on my emotions and feelings so that He can help me discern them. He can see them clearly.

While no one likes a test because they bring performance anxiety. God brings truth, and we desperately need it and freedom from performance. In a culture that is scared to speak the truth, we need to learn to embrace it. It’s for our good. It sets us free from ourselves and the anxiety we feel of not meeting the expectation. We don’t have to meet the expectation. That’s grace.

God, investigate my life. Look in all the nooks and crannies where the icky things are hiding and drag them out. I want a fresh start. You promise that for every morning your mercies are new. I claim that. Help me run to your mercy every morning and find forgiveness for all the places my heart needs cleaning. Hunt down the anxieties hiding in my heart that set themselves up against the knowledge of you. I don’t want them as idols in my heart where I have chosen control out of fear. When I know you and your love there is no fear.

Day 3

"Prove me , O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.

For your steadfast love is before my eyes and I walk in your faithfulness."

Psalm 26:2&3

"Examine me, God, from head to toe, order your battery of tests.

Make sure I'm fit inside and out.

So I never lose sight of your love,

but keep in step with you,

never missing a beat." ( MSG)

God, help me walk with you, keeping in step . That only works when I let you test my heart and mind and cut away the thoughts and actions that tangle my heart and then my feet. Test me inside and out to make me stronger. Remind me that tests can also show what I am doing well, not just what needs improvement. Thank you that you care about progress not perfection. Let that truth encourage me to trust you. 

There is something about repeating prayers. Repeated scripture gets written on our hearts and comes back to us when we need it. I challenge you to choose the prayers that resonate with you during the week and pray them again on the weekend.

If you don’t have one of these memorized, I challenge you to memorize them. I know all three. If you see me out in public you have my permission to make me repeat them.