One of the things I am quickly learning during my first observation of Lent, is how forgetful I am. But not in ways that you might imagine. Five days into Lent, and since my initial lapse on the morning of Ash Wednesday, I have not forgotten to observe my Lenten fast. I have successfully avoided television, newspapers, radio, magazines, and, yes, even the internet. But what I have been forgetting is to use the time I have been saving to engage in intense spiritual activity. I have continued my normal routine of devotional readings and prayer, but I have not yet invested my extra time in seeking after the Lord. Part of it, I’m sure, is the busyness of preparing to leave for Ethiopia. But this is no excuse. There is ALWAYS something that will rob the time that we would devote to our inner life. I will say that my time alone in the car has become time alone with the Lord. No more Mike and Mike. And my fast is constantly on my mind. I am almost always aware that my life has been restructured for a season. It is serving its purpose in that regard. Now I must take that next step and put my extra time to more spiritually focused activity. Pray for me to that end. I will be praying for you.

Here is a prayer for today from The Valley of Vision entitled, “Living by Prayer” . . .

O God of the open ear,
Teach me to live by prayer as well as by Providence, for myself, soul, body, children, family, church;
Give me a heart frameable to Thy will; so I might live in prayer, and honor Thee, being kept from evil, known and unknown.
Help me to see the sin that accompanies all I do, and the good I can distil from everything.
Let me know that the work of prayer is to bring my will to Thine, and that without this it is folly to pray;
When I try to bring Thy will to mine it is to command Christ, to be above Him, and wiser than He; this is my sin and pride,
I can only succeed when I pray according to Thy precept and promise, and to be done with as it pleases Thee, according to Thy will.
When Thou commandest me to pray for pardon, peace, brokenness, it is because Thou wilt give me the thing promised, for Thy glory, as well as for my good.
Help me not only to desire small things but with holy boldness to desire great things for Thy people, for myself, that they and I might live to show Thy glory.
Teach me that it is wisdom for me to pray for all I have, out of love, willingly, not of necessity;
that I may come to Thee at any time, to lay open my needs acceptably to Thee;
that my great sin lies in my not keeping the savor of Thy ways; that the remembrance of this truth is one way to the sense of Thy presence;
that there is no wrath like the wrath of being governed by my own lusts for my own ends.

Also, I am going to ask Dustin to post the handout on fasting that I gave to everyone in church two weeks ago. If you haven’t read it yet, it has some good stuff from Donald Whitney on fasting as a spiritual discipline.

UPDATE: The fasting handout can be seen here.

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