Day 11: The Unhurried Heart
February 28
by Amy Vandervoet
Readings:
Reflection:
Read the scriptures, then, if you like, I read this devotional on video HERE.
Lent is our opportunity to echo Jesus’s forty days in the desert. Close your eyes for a moment and visualize what that must have been like. None of us pictures Jesus busy trying to prove himself to God. Slow meditative prayer comes to mind. By the end of those forty days, he was able to handle temptation with single-mindedness and wisdom. Listening to God’s voice, Jesus persevered through years of challenging ministry and even death on a cross. Through his unswerving focus, Jesus gave us an incredible example of what self-discipline and inner quiet can produce. Are we participating in Lent at that slow and meditative pace?
We hear, “obey, be perfect, pray, forgive,” in both Deuteronomy and Matthew, and might be tempted to become works-focused. This is a trap! Our well-meaning plans could lead to busyness and distraction rather than the unhurried reflection Lent was crafted to produce. Good intentions can backfire. In Deuteronomy 26:16-19, God called His people to carefully observe their obedience. That doesn’t sound like a box we can check or something we can move through quickly. God wanted the Israelites to follow His protective decrees with all their hearts and souls. It required single-mindedness. It required thoughtful focus. Is that how you would describe this season of Lent so far? Have we slowed down enough to simply listen and follow?
It took me a minute to see the connection between God’s call in Deuteronomy and Jesus’s command in Matthew, but that kind of forgiveness and imitation in the New Testament passage is the natural overflow of a people whose minds are totally devoted to God’s laws and decrees. It’s a reminder to focus with all our hearts and souls. The perfection Jesus is calling us to is available through grace and the Holy Spirit. What a relief that we don’t have to attain that on our own strength!
By committing to Lent, we have decided to carve out time to remember, reignite, and recalibrate, “Jesus is LORD!” within ourselves. Do we make time for the slow, meditative prayer Jesus demonstrated for us? Are we moving at a pace that facilitates careful observation? Take the time to answer those questions…don’t miss the whole point. Through the inner reconciliation of Lent, we can be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. We can be a truly holy people!
Song:
Create In Me A Clean Heart, by Accapella
Content for wisdom and contentment at: urenuf.life
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