Lent Devotional: Tuesday, April 2

Published April 2, 2019 by SMBC

The Wilderness of our Everyday Life
Wilderness is a macro theme in the Bible. Our Pastor has been saying that wilderness is a time when God speaks. I can see two reasons why God speaks when we are in the wilderness. The first reason is that God reaches out to us when we are in spiritual need. The second reason is when we are in a place of wilderness - truly overwhelmed and troubled, we are receptive to hearing God speaking to us. God is probably speaking to us all the time. The problem is we are not quiet enough to listen.

I think this theme of wilderness, separation from a relationship with God, can be applied to our everyday lives. Every day we face many challenges and trials. Each day we have a choice. We can allow ourselves to get caught up in the emotion and anger that comes with our trials, or we can focus on the things that will keep us in close relationship with God and our fellow humans.

Some people give up something during Lent and some people add things to their lives during Lent to remind them of the meaning of the Lenten season. The important thing is to remember our focus should be on God, not on ourselves.

This year I plan to add some practices to my daily routine to remind me of my blessing of grace. These practices may sound very easy and obvious, yet I know they are not that easy to do all the time:

-Set aside a period of quiet time to listen to what God is telling me.
-Take time to remember the many blessings that have been received.
-Focus on the good things that happen.
-Compliment people, even in the face of tough situations.
-Treat other people the way I would like to be treated.
Lent is a good time to do something that will help us remain centered and focused in our relationship with God. It is a good time to establish practices that will keep us out of our own spiritual wilderness.