PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
Genesis 8:15–20
Then God said to Noah, “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.”
So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on land—came out of the ark, one kind after another.
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.
CONSIDER THIS
Chances are you remember receiving news reports and mandates to shelter in place as the COVID-19 virus was spreading rapidly through our world. After days, weeks, and months, the hardships of what we had to sacrifice as a result of the pandemic became more of a reality. Not only did we give up in-person church gatherings, but family celebrations and even mundane tasks like grocery shopping. For some, complete isolation was required. Then, slowly, doors were opened and we were given permission to go out and experience creation and community once again. Many of us desired to share meals with others and to see each other in 3-D rather than on a screen. It was what our hearts longed for so we made it a priority.
When Noah received word that his family could leave the ark and experience the world again, what did he do? He built an altar. His heart longed to create a space where he could encounter the presence of God. Remember that the ark was given to Noah and his family as a saving grace to escape the punishment of sin. The flood came because humans had completely given in to their desires and God wanted to wipe away everything that had degraded His creation. The flood washed away the sin, but it also showed the power of God to provide salvation.
Place yourself on that ark. Can you imagine the conversations Noah had with his family? What did they long for most? Did they remember the times they were distracted by the world and tempted to follow what others were doing? As they saw the world washed away, were they filled with sadness for what was lost and gratitude for God’s protection? Did they look around and give thanks for all that God had provided for them even in the confinement of the ark? Forty days and forty nights of rain and reflection created a longing for God, a longing to encounter the one who had saved them, a longing to give back to God what He had provided to them. So, Noah built an altar.
As we begin this Lenten season, what will our hearts long for during these days and nights? It’s our time to build an altar with our lives. Let’s use these days to create a space where our longing hearts can dwell with God. Let’s reflect on our own sin and surrender ourselves to His mercy. Let’s pray for and experience the transformation that comes as we shift our minds and our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit. Let’s explore more deeply each of these so we can be altar’d through the grace of God.
THE PRAYER
Mighty God, You are our Provider, our Savior, our Redeemer. We long for You. Our days and weeks drift by and we miss Your presence. We give ourselves to You and pray for the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
THE QUESTION
What does your heart long for right now? How can you begin to create an altar in your life, a space to encounter the triune God?
For the Awakening,
Susan Kent
P. S. Get the Book Version of This Series
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One Response
“What does my heart long for right now? “ I long for the peace (shalom) of God that existed in this world prior to the Fall. I’m thankful for the promise for its restoration made possible by Jesus’s incarnation, ministry, sacrificial death, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father in heaven; and the Gospel call that brought me into the adoption into the household of faith. I look forward to the consummation of the kingdom of God being done on earth as it is in heaven.