“But it is good for me to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge.”
Psalm 73:28
The Chameleon
People are like Chameleons; we have a tendency to start looking like our surroundings. That’s why Lent is so important. We need strategic times when we spend more time with God. If we’re not careful we can get so busy in our daily life that we go through a whole day without spending any time with the Lord. One day leads to another and before long, we can find ourselves surrounded by desert and ruin. Then, we wonder where God is. The truth is God never moved, we were just spending too much time with the world.
Psalm 73 tells us that like the Chameleon, we too can choose to look like the world, because they seem to be successful and safe. The Chameleon is driven to change his colors by fear; it feels it must adapt to survive. The Psalmist said he, “nearly slipped” into the patterns of the worldly and wicked. He envied their prosperity (Vs. 2,3). The call to a Lenten spirituality is designed to keep us from falling. When we build into our lives, daily times of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving we are spending more time with God, and concentrating on growing our faith, not our worldly reputations.
Rhythms for Life
The Christian calendar offers a rhythm for us to connect with. Lent and Advent are seasons designed to help us reflect on our lives through increased repentance, prayer and fasting. They are seasons of rest and renewal. These two seasons prepare us to better celebrate the high spiritual days of Easter and Christmas, to celebrate the living God who has come among us. Then, there are other seasons such as Pentecost and Ordinary Time in which we allow the grace received in our times of renewal to grow even deeper roots for our spiritual lives.
Unlike the Chameleon, we don’t need to fear. God is our refuge and Lent is truly a season of refuge. We need to run to our God, to hide in his cross, to become more like Him not the world. We need to walk with Him through the desert allowing Christ to nourish and nurture our weary souls. Are you dry, and thirsty? Come to the water of life. Come to the spring that never runs dry. Won’t you reflect for a few moments today on the desert you may be journeying through? As you do, know that you are not alone. God is always near. In the desert we often dry up and turn to ash, but when we draw near to God, his living water raises us from the ashes.
Grace & Peace for a Holy Lent,
Pastor Brad
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
Matthew 5:6