Lent is the 40 days (six weeks) leading up to Easter and is marked on the church calendar as a time of fasting, reflection, and repentance. This is meant to be a time that brings us closer to Christ. However, the way Lent is celebrated can increase feelings of anxiety and shame.
Are you struggling with feelings of shame and worthlessness? Maybe you need to spend less time thinking about your sins and more time remembering and proclaiming God’s grace. While it is spiritually healthy to admit where and how we have not been godly, God does not want us to feel like worthless worms. But the Lord longs for us to recognize our need for the Savior, live in complete dependence, and experience all the blessings that come with the divine union made possible by the Cross.
Why is Lent 40 days?
This has been God’s plan since time immemorial, and is reflected in the very length of Lent. This 40-day holy festival recalls the 40 years the ancient Israelites walked through the wilderness, step by step, mile by mile. Those familiar with Biblical history may remember the events that preceded this journey: the exodus from slavery in Egypt.
The Bible says that after 400 years of oppression, God gave a man named Moses the authority to free God’s people and take them to God’s place, the Promised Land. However, after sending scouts into the area, the people were terrified. They recognized the obstacles before them and were focused on the human limitations of trusting in God’s power, presence, and promises.
Because of their unbelief, God refused to take them to Canaan and instead led them into the wilderness, where they learned to trust God day by day, experiencing crisis after crisis.
40 Years of Wilderness: An Act of Mercy
While some may see God’s response as punishment, I see it as an act of grace. When I think about my marriage, I am keenly aware of the pain that comes from experiencing material wealth apart from connection. Many years ago, my husband and I went through a difficult time when we were materially blessed but painfully alone. So was he. Later, after God healed our relationship, we endured a financially difficult period in which we lost almost everything, but we felt more fulfilled and at peace than we had in times of prosperity.
I suspect the same was true for the ancient Israelites. If they had entered the Promised Land physically free but with a distrust that forever turned them away from the only One who could satisfy their souls’ deepest desires, they would have remained spiritually enslaved. So God used their time in the desert to help them understand God’s unchanging, merciful and loving nature through personal experience.
Jesus’ own journey into the wilderness accomplished three important things for us.
The 40 days of Lent also remind us of the time Jesus, the innocent Son of God, spent in the desert. Matthew 4:1-2 says, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he became hungry” (NIV).
Below, Jesus overcame each temptation that tempted the first humans, Adam and Eve, to sin. This accomplished three things. First, Christ gave us a clear example for us to follow when faced with temptation. Second, each of God’s responses reveals our need for Him as the source of our wisdom, provision, and fulfillment. And finally, our Savior showed perfect obedience. This is something only He, the sinless Son of God, can do. Each of these illustrations again reveals our need for the Lord, and therefore moves sensitive hearts to deeper dependence on and intimacy with Him.
Turning to Christ during Lent is the key to a deeper relationship with Christ
Every step Christ took and every word spoken throughout the Bible reveals powerful and tender truths about God’s character and our hearts. But during Lent, we especially remember the love and mercy shown by our Lord in His last days. From the time Jesus wept over Jerusalem, knowing that people would soon cry out mercilessly for His cross, to the moment He walked out of the tomb, He proved all the truths spoken by and about Him.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep. He is also the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus is the Bread of Life that nourishes our souls, the Risen Lord who reveals the forces of evil, defeats the power of death, and gives life to all who trust in Him.
This is exactly what we celebrate and reflect on during Lent. While it is important to honestly evaluate and admit your sins, it is not healthy to become obsessed with guilt or shame. To quote from Jenny Allen’s book, Nothing to Prove: “We remember that we are already forgiven and confess what we enjoy.” In other words, it is about anchoring ourselves more firmly in God’s grace.
Subscribe to our free Lent podcast and journey with us to Easter Sunday
That is what we celebrate and reflect on this Lent. If you’re looking for additional resources to deepen your experience, we encourage you to subscribe to the Your Daily Bible Verse podcast. Starting on Ash Wednesday, February 14th, we will lead listeners through a special series entitled “Journey to Resurrection.” In it, we trace the steps of Christ in chronological order, from the time of John 12, when Christ foretold his crucifixion, to the day he rose from the dead. We will also be sharing short Lenten devotional videos on Facebook and Instagram, especially for those who are hurting and struggling with shame.
This Lent, as we consider the symbolism behind this sacred custom, may we invite God deep into our souls to remove all that hinders our relationship with Him. And may God lead us to more trust, dependence, and life.
Main image credit: ©Getty Images/Coompia77
Jennifer Slattery is an author and speaker who co-hosts the podcast Faith Over Fear and the podcast Your Daily Bible Verse with a team of six people. She has spoken at women’s groups and Bible studies, and taught at writers’ conferences across the United States. She is the author of Building a Family and numerous other books, and maintains a dedicated blog at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud.com.
She is passionate about helping people experience the freedom of Christ in every area of their lives. To learn more about her speaking engagements or to book her for your next women’s event, visit her online. Sign up here for the free quarterly newsletter and connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and GodTube.
