Happy Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday! Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday that marks the beginning of Lent. The season of Lent is a special time when we are called to prepare our hearts and minds to Easter. Some people give up something (meat, sweets, TV etc) for Lent and some take something on (f.e. a certain spiritual discipline) for this period of 40 days before Easter. The main idea is to seek God and let him show what areas of our lives need to be uncluttered, washed, readied for Christ. What are your plans for Lent this year?

“When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree. (Jeremiah 29: 12-14, MSG)

When we call on God we can be certain that God will answer. When we look for God, we will find him because he wants to be found. God won’t disappoint us. But do we take time to seek God? God wants to be found. Do we put our faith in action? God wants to bless us. Do we dare to trust God and pray big prayers? God wants to be active in our lives.

I’ve been praying  for awhile now how God would like me to approach Lent this year. Then yesterday I read Mark Batterson’s blog and knew immediately that this was the answer for me. Mark Batterson is inviting people for a lenten prayer experiment based on 2 Chronicles 7:14:  If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Excerpt from Batterson’s blog:

“What if all of us hit on knees everyday at 7:14 AM?  Honestly, the time isn’t the issue.  I just think 7:14 is a nice trigger.  It can be 7:13 or 7:15.  It can be 6:37 or 8:22. AM or PM.  So it’s not about the time per se.  It’s about establishing a humble habit of kneeling before the Lord on a daily basis.  You can hit your knees when you get out of bed or when you get into bed. And it’s not about bowing the knee. It’s about bowing the heart.  There is nothing magical about kneeling, but there is something biblical about it.  I’ve found that my heart posture often mirrors my physical posture.

Are you in? Would you be willing to kneel everyday for forty days? For two or ten or thirty or sixty minutes?  If you want to be part of the 7:14 experiment, text the word LENT to 775.237.4364. We’ll send out a short text message at 7:14 AM everyday during Lent.  Just a daily reminder, a daily inspiration.  We’ll kick off on Ash Wednesday, February 22.  We’ll end on Easter Sunday.  Spread the word…

Let’s not seek blessings or miracles or opportunities. Let’s seek God.  And if we seek God, blessings and miracles and opportunities will seek us! If we get on our knees then God will extend His right hand on our behalf.

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all of these things will be added to as well.”   Matthew 6:33″

Right away after reading Mark Batterson’s blog I knew this was something I wanted to do. So I am in. How about you, my fellow pilgrim? Are you in? I will commit to pray on my knees every day during the Lent and seek God. I will pray for more faith, for ears to hear his voice, for eyes to see his actions in the world. I will sit in his presence and wait for him. I will seek him and his will in my life. I pray that God will teach me how great he is. I pray that God will enlarge my territory, unclutter my life spiritually, show me his mighty ways. Just think what will happen if we truly commit to seek him and his will for us and the world. I’m in. How about you?

 

Gracious God,
Thank you for calling us to be mindful about our faith walks.
Show each of us how we can seek you this Lent.
I pray blessings for everyone who is earnestly seeking you.
Thank you that you want to be found.
Thank you that you won’t disappoint us.
Empower us to pray mighty prayers
because you are a mighty God.
Show us how great thou art.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: What are you plans for Lent?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you seek God earnestly. He won’t disappoint you!

Image courtesy of Michael McFatridge. Linking up today with What’s on Your Heart Tuesdays & Soli Deo Gloria and One Word at a Time: Disappoint Blog Carnival.