Lent – a season of reflection and renewal that helps us prepare for Easter – is a sacred journey. The more we seek God during Lent, the more we can grow spiritually and encounter God’s wonder along the way. Lent is a dedicated time for moving closer to God. God will meet us where we are and empower us to grow when we ask the Holy Spirit to work in our lives during Lent. Lent can be a solemn time as we grapple with the reality of sin and our need for repentance and positive change. However, Lent is full of wonder that we can experience as we practice spiritual disciplines that lead us to spiritual growth. Then, we can emerge from Lent with a stronger relationship with God. That relationship will inspire us with awe and move us to embrace the ultimate hope God offers us through Jesus’ Resurrection.
At the heart of Lent is an invitation to delve into the depths of our relationships with God. God wants us to be wholeheartedly devoted to him, since he is passionately in love with us. He urges us in Joel 2:12-13: “‘Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” That’s the essence of Lent. It’s not about religious rituals; it’s about a heartfelt relationship with God.
When Is Lent?
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, where we can attend a church worship service where we receive ashes marked in the sign of the cross on our foreheads. That symbolizes our mortality, as well as the need to repent of our sins and trust in Jesus’ sacrifice for those sins, so we can spend eternity with our holy God. The ashes we receive at the beginning of Lent are a tangible reminder of God’s words in Genesis 3:19: “… dust you are and to dust you will return.” Ash Wednesday sets the tone for a season of humility, inviting us to recognize our dependence on God and to trust him more deeply.
The entire duration of Lent is 40 days, and a 40-day period of time has special biblical significance. It often represents a period of testing and preparation. Some examples from the Old Testament include how God flooded the earth for 40 days to deal with sin (Genesis 7:4) and how Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai in preparation to receive the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24:18). In the New Testament, Jesus spent 40 days fasting and praying to prepare for his public ministry (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:9-13, and Luke 4:1-13), and he spent 40 days on earth after his Resurrection until his Ascension to heaven (Acts 1:3). Holy Week happens during the last week of Lent, and Easter immediately follows Lent. By the time we reach Easter, if we’ve pursued spiritual growth during Lent, we’ll be prepared to celebrate Easter with a full awareness of its significance in our lives.
How Lenten Traditions Can Lead Us to Wonder
Lent is a deliberate and intentional season marked by spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting, and helping people in need. As we make a deliberate choice to detach from distractions and focus on our faith, we create space in our lives for a deeper connection with God. Lent can help us to realign our priorities, refocus our hearts, and renew our commitment to following Jesus. During Lent, we can enjoy an intentional journey that transcends our routines and leads us to appreciate the serious yet wondrous redemptive work Jesus did for us.
The presence of the Holy Spirit with us is central to the wonder of spiritual growth during Lent. It’s the Holy Spirit who helps us grow spiritually, so we can develop key qualities that the Bible calls the “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance [patience], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” In John 14:26, Jesus promises the coming of the Holy Spirit, saying, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you,” Jesus reveals that the Holy Spirit will advocate for us and teach us everything we need to know.
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So, during Lent, it’s vital to communicate regularly with the Holy Spirit through prayer. We can invite the Holy Spirit to help us grow in holiness throughout this sacred season. We can also pray about everything that’s on our minds throughout each day, continually giving each situation over to God. As we do, we’ll discover the wonder of God’s work in our lives. That will inspire us to keep growing – even when the process of doing so is challenging. Lenten prayers often focus on topics that can help us move closer to God: confessing our sins, repenting of them, and asking for forgiveness; pursuing discernment, relying on God’s strength; and taking action when God calls us to do something like being kind, resolving conflicts, or serving others. None of those pursuits are easy! But through prayer, we can get all the help we need from the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26 reminds us that “… the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Not only will the Holy Spirit answer our prayers, but he will even join us in prayer to articulate our thoughts and feelings! Realizing that the Holy Spirit actively participates in our prayers can inspire us with a sense of reverent awe, strengthening our connection with God.
Fasting is another significant practice during Lent. Fasting – which involves giving up something temporarily to redirect that time and energy to spiritual growth – is more than just a physical discipline. It’s a spiritual exercise that opens space for the Holy Spirit to strengthen our devotion to God. In the wilderness, Jesus fasted for 40 days, relying on the power of the Spirit to sustain him. Many believers abstain from certain foods (such as desserts) or give up alcohol during Lent. Others stop indulging in certain practices like watching television or posting on social media, in order to free up that time for more prayer during Lent. As we abstain from particular foods or activities, we can experience a heightened awareness of our reliance on God. The process of fasting becomes an opportunity to confront the desires of our flesh and seek fulfillment in God alone. Jesus reveals in Matthew 6:16-18 that when we fast with pure intentions, God will reward us.
Another important way to grow spiritually and experience wonder during Lent is helping people in need. When we use our resources of time, energy, and money to help meet people’s needs, God’s love flows through our lives into theirs. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus teaches about the transformative power of compassionate acts, saying: “…‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Proverbs 19:17 declares: “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.” As we help people in need, we become vessels through which the Holy Spirit extends God’s love to others. We discover that generosity is not only about meeting the needs of others, but also about participating in the redemptive work of God. We’re bound to discover lots of wonder along the way!
Lenten traditions connect us with the Holy Spirit for a special season of intentional partnership. When we see them as more than rituals but as opportunities to partner with the Spirit, we can enjoy wondrous learning opportunities – about God, about ourselves, and about our world. The Spirit will teach us everything we need for spiritual growth as he renews our mind during Lent. Romans 12:1-2 exhorts us: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” It’s through the process of offering ourselves to God that we experience positive change and experience the wonder of God’s faithfulness to us.
The Power of Participating in Lent
In conclusion, Lent is a powerful season to grow closer to God and experience his wonder along the way. We can not only prepare for Easter during Lent, but we can spark a fire of lifelong love for God in our souls. Approaching Lenten traditions with a focus on relationship rather than ritual can connect us with God in important and exciting ways. While it can be challenging to pursue spiritual growth, the Holy Spirit is always available to help us grow. Partnering with the Spirit during Lent can make the prayer of Psalm 51:10 a reality in our lives: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” As we cooperate with the Spirit, our efforts to grow closer to God can transform us in the deepest levels of our souls!
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Whitney Hopler helps people discover God's wonder and experience awe. She is the author of several books, including the nonfiction books Wake Up to Wonder and Wonder Through the Year: A Daily Devotional for Every Year, and the young adult novel Dream Factory. Whitney has served as an editor at leading media organizations, including Crosswalk.com, The Salvation Army USA’s national publications, and Dotdash.com (where she produced a popular channel on angels and miracles). She currently leads the communications work at George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Connect with Whitney on her website at www.whitneyhopler.com, on Facebook, and on X/Twitter.