Out of the Darkness
Reflections for Lent
by Melissa Lien
“Mourning means you recognize the most important reality
in the human experience, sin.
Mourning means you have been hit by the weight
of what it has done to you and to everyone you know.
Mourning says you have considered the devastating fact that life
right here, right now is one big spiritual war….
Mourning results when you confess that there are places
where your heart still wanders.”
~Paul David Tripp
What might it look like to bring all of our mourning and sadness to Jesus? To lay our brokenness and the world’s pain at His feet? Where do you need Jesus to show up in your life? If we are turning to anything but Jesus, there might be temporary relief but we’ll be left with only empty promises that bring us back to despair in ourselves and our inability to change our own hearts.
During this season of Lent leading up to Easter, where might God be inviting you to recalibrate, to take a deeper look at your own heart and reevaluate what you really love? We’re not doing this alone in the darkness but with the assurance of the forgiveness and presence of Jesus walking alongside us. The first step to the healing work of Jesus is mourning our own sin- past, present, and future. Lent is about letting ourselves feel the deep sadness of our sin and finding Jesus there to cover our shame. Lent is about bringing the dirtiest parts of ourselves to the foot of the cross and finding His open arms ready to embrace. Have we considered the gracious and undeserved gift we have been given when He shows us the terrifying reality of our own sin? Would we ever seek the Savior’s forgiving grace if we weren’t convinced we desperately needed it?
As we look ahead towards Easter, towards resurrection in our own stories, would we not sit in despair, moping in the guilt and shame of our sin. Rather, in prayer, ask God to help us find forgiveness and hope in Jesus’s story- His death and His resurrection- that completes our rescue story. Please don’t resist the growing awareness of your sin which leads to the comforting embrace of your Savior. Can we give ourselves over to Lent, a small portion of our year, which often feels unpleasant and hard but knowing that on the other side is great relief and celebration? Praying this season brings considerable sadness so that a deeper profound joy can be found when we “dwell in the shelter of the Most High” and “rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91)
“May your mourning increase so that your joy may deepen.
May you groan more so that you would pray more.
May your sadness ignite your celebration.”
~Paul David Tripp
God’s Invitation to You:
To go deeper in His Word, consider reading and meditating on Psalm 51:1-12, using it as a template for a time of confession. For reassurance of His care and protection, slow down to meditate on Psalm 91:1-6.