PRAYER

God, You are good. Help us to delight in you and in what you delight in. May we trust you in all we do. Amen.

READING

Psalm 37:1-18

Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.

² For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

³ Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

⁴ Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

⁵ Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.

⁶ He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.

⁸ Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm.

⁹ For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

¹⁰ Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone.

¹¹ The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity.

¹² The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance.

¹³ But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming.

¹⁴ The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right.

¹⁵ But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

¹⁶ It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich.

¹⁷ For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly.

¹⁸ Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.

REFLECTION

What do you delight in? For me, I delight in the sun shining, a hot cup of coffee in the morning, catching a shiny legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Go (yes, I still play. I once tried to give it up for Lent, and admittedly did not succeed. Forgive me, I'm human), and I also delight in laughter.

What does it mean to "delight in the Lord"? It means to love the things that God loves. It also means to love God not for what God can do for us, but for who God is. Our prayers can sometimes be a wish list of things we want to make our lives easier. It is good to pray for help but we must also recognize that sometimes our difficult situations do not change in order for change to occur in us.

The Psalmist says to "be still in the presence of God". Meditation is a practice that helps align our body and spirit with God. It is one way we can be still. There are many guided mediations online, including Sarah Layman's (Area Youth Co-coordinator for York Simcoe) Guided Meditation. Meditation can be as simple as 1 minute of intentional breathing while repeating a phrase (For example: Jesus is the Light of the world, or Maranatha) or as deep as 20 minutes of prayer and reflection. Meditation aligns our Earthly dimension with God's dimension so we can better understand God's heart and will for our lives.

Time spent with God is time well spent. May we make time to reconnect this Lenten season.

LENT CHECK IN

Consider lighting a candle at each meal inviting Christ to dine with you and to bless your family conversation.

Give Meditation a try. Start with a short time period, then slowly build up to longer.