Another Great Lent and Another Chance

We have come once again to the first day of the Great Fast, also known as Great Lent. In Greek this season is known as the Great 40 Days. What makes it so ‘great’ is the power of God. It is our annual chance to return to where it all started and remember God’s power in our creation and our salvation.

One blessing I receive every year during the Great Fast is the readings from Genesis. It helps me to remember that God needs only to speak, and things happen.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.  And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.  And there was evening and there was morning, one day. And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”  And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament.  And it was so.  And God called the firmament Heaven.  And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.”  And it was so.  God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas.  And God saw that it was good.  And God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth.”  And it was so.  The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind.  And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

Genesis 1.1-13

I often speak about the power of God speaking all things into creation. Today, as oftentimes happens, something jumped out at me. After God created the water and the land He said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed.”

I’m not sure it every hit me until today. God made plants that have seeds, but He had not yet made any insects or other animals to pollinate the flower to make the seeds. It wasn’t the lack of insects that hit me. It was the power to make happen what God desires. It was the power of His word.

The Great Fast is about our journey of repentance to meet the Lord at His Passion and Resurrection. Each day of our life until now, and each day moving forward, is and always will be a struggle for us to live as God desires. That’s why we need the power of His promise.

For this year’s Daily Lenten Journey, we will focus on the Power of God’s Promise. It will be another chance for us to take Him at His word. It will be another chance for us to believe Him when He says we will be saved. It is another chance to live by the power of His Word.

Let’s do this! Have a blessed Lent.