Gifts of Lent: Remembering God’s Faithfulness

Grief is a common theme of Lent. The early Church felt that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ deserved a period of remembrance and reflection, greater than just Good Friday. Patterned after Jesus’ forty days of solitude and testing in the wilderness, we’re reminded that sorrow is a lonely business. But for every kind of hurt, the act of remembering can bring healing.

The pain of loss is all around us. People are mourning lost loved ones, lost dreams, lost faith. We can grieve over painful relationships, poor health, prodigal children. The news shows even more complex reasons to lament. And God welcomes it all. In His faithful love, He encourages us to bring our hurt and tears to Him.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of Jesus centuries before His birth: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3) So when Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted;” and “come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest;” (Matt 5:4;11:28) we can be sure that He understands our pain and stands ready to comfort us and walk through it with us.

Many people use Lent to “try on” new spiritual disciplines. When we get in the habit of recalling how God has brought us through past difficulties, we can be quicker to trust His nearness in our current pain. I love the New American Standard translation of Psalms 73:28: “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.” Remembering the everlasting love of our Heavenly Father can heal our own wounds and equip us to bring the good news of His love to our hurting world.

Need more encouragement to remember God’s love for you and those you love? Check out these passages: 

Joshua 1:9; Psalm 100; Lamentations 3:22-23; Romans 8:38-39