I don’t know about you, but I’ve been spiritually asleep for too long now. A friend recommended a book recently called In the End–The Beginning by the German theologian Jurgen Moltmann and one particular chapter re-energized me and gave me some ideas for Lent. He says:
“In prayer we wake up to the world as it is spread out before God in all its heights and depths … the person who prays, lives more attentively. Pray wakefully.” (p. 83)
And I asked myself: What if I started praying again–actually praying? For a set amount of time… And how would it transform my life to pray “wakefully”?
He continues:
“When we wake up in the morning we expect the new day; and in the same way, the waking which springs from prayer to God also leads to the expectation of God in the life we experience. I wake up, and open all my senses for life–for the fulfillments and for the disappointments, for what is painful as well as for what gives joy. I expect the presence of God in everything I meet and everything I do … People who know that there is someone who is waiting for them and expecting them never give themselves up. And we are expected.” (p. 85)
Do I wake up expecting the presence of God in everything I do? Expecting God? And finally, this quote:
“To go through life with open eyes, to discern Christ in unimportant people, and, alert, to do the right thing at the right time: that is what praying and watching is about. We believe so that we can see–and withstand what we see.” (p. 86)
I’ve found this to be true. It reminds me of the Chinese friend I talk about in my book who encouraged me to pray for the pang bien de ren–the “right next to you people,” then watch for how God answers your prayer.
Would you consider joining me in praying for a set amount of time every day during Lent?
I tried this once before when I was single and living in China and it transformed me. That year, I read a psalm aloud and then spent an hour praying aloud every morning during Lent. Now that I am married with three small children, I’m thinking thirty minutes might be all that I can carve out, but I’m desperate for a spiritual reawakening.
We’ll begin this Wednesday with Ash Wednesday and end on Easter Sunday, but I hope this sparks a new habit of being spiritually awake to the work of God all around me.
If you’re interested, drop a comment here, email via my contact form, or send me a dm via social media to tell me you’re in and I’ll email the small group of us a couple times over the next few weeks just to see how things are going. Let me know your goal in the form of time. Personally, I’ll attempt to pray every morning from 5:15-5:45 am (which will mean going to bed super early…), but you can pick the time frame that works for you and your season of life.
If you can’t commit to this, but would like another challenge, you could also consider doing a digital detox/fast during Lent. You can read my post here for ideas on how to do that. Highly recommend.
Feel free to share this with a friend and invite them to join you.
Blessings to you as you seek to live purposefully and wakefully right where you are.
xo
Leslie
