Praying during Lent

Easter Sunday, a few moons ago.

We’ve been part of our church for a little over a year now. We are learning that each denomination observes Easter season differently. Our church is currently going through 40 days of prayer. We are not only speaking about prayer but also praying in small groups. I secretly hope the excitement outlasts the end of the 40-day deadline.

I’ve been convicted about praying more (as far as quality over quantity). I even mentioned something here on the blog a while ago. I decided not to wait, just pray. I also decided to enlist the company of my family, who are always eager to pray together.

I still think that Lent is super long. Breaking the season down in small chunks is something that helps me a lot. Last year, I developed the habit of changing my prayer focus every 10 days. The kids had a lent calendar, which I did not manage to print this year. They are following our church’s 40 days of prayer plan with us. I didn’t “dumbify’ the plan for them. We read the same scriptures together and think about what God is saying as a family.

The kids’ questions have been fascinating. I hope we can continue to seek God as a family. The way I learned about Jesus was by closely observing adults who lived their faith out loud around me. Prayer meeting was one of those times - I’ll write about that another time.

We have always enjoyed Palm Sunday because the kids put on a play. We keep it simple and we use what we have at home. The Listenbee Palm Sunday Play is something they look forward to every year.

We read the passages that precede the resurrection of Jesus during Lent. By the time Easter rolls around, the scriptures are fresh in our memory and the joy of the Lord is strengthening our hearts.

My husband has worked in church before we got married so Easter is always a big day. We rejoice in worshipping Jesus every Sunday but Easter is especially joyful. It is the foundation of our faith and we celebrate with all our hearts.

I plan on preparing our Easter dinner ahead of time as I’ve done before. We eat together and we have a special desert. Last year, we had carrot cake and I asked the baker to write “Jesus is alive.” Every reminder of this reality is sweet.

I don’t know how you celebrate Lent or if you care to remember it. I do hope you remember Jesus. I hope you remember how much He cares about you. He thinks about you more than you care to count. He loves you and I hope you know it.

Previously in this series:
• Lent: I will remember Jesus
• Lent: the first 10 days
• Lent: my goals for Lent
• Lent: nothing I expected
• Lent: lessons learned
• Lent with Kids