Betty Whitaker Jackson

Ash Wednesday, today, begins forty days in the Christian calendar leading to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.  Because Easter’s date changes each year according to the Lunar calendar, the dates vary.  Toughly forty days, Lent signifies Chris’s time of temptation by Satan in the wilderness. Also, because each Sunday is the Lord’s Day and a “little” Easter, Sundays are not included in the count of forty days.

This year, Lent begins today, February 22, Ash Wednesday, and ends, according to two traditions, Thursday, April 6th or Saturday, April 8th, and Easter is April 9th.

From my book, “Restore My Soul Psalms: A Lenten Journey” written in 2018, I wrote a reflective original psalm for each day. I will share them on this page daily throughout the season. May they be a blessing and a time of reflection for you as you prepare for Easter, remembering the reason for the season–the Old and New Testatment journey from the original sin of Eden to God’s covenant promise of redemption through Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. It is God’s love story: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” Without Jesus sacrifice for us, we would remain mired in the sin that condemns us.

I chose the pure water lily as a symbol, the purity of nature, the creative genius of our God, the beauty of perfection. The lily reflects the sunshine, dances to the rhythm of the waves touched by breezes, and surrounds itself with nestling plants, some perfect, some not so perfect, each basking in God’s light.

Here is My Psalm 300: “Keep Me Close.”

MY PSALM 300:   KEEP ME CLOSE

Dear Heavenly Father, I come into Your Presence,
Admitting that I need You more each day.
As I study Your Word,
Your message to the world and to me,

 

I become more and more aware
Of Your unfathomable grace
Which covers my multitude of sins,
Past, present, and future.
I bow to Your Holiness
Unable to stand in Your Presence.

 

Cleanse me of all that keeps me from loving You
In body, soul, strength, and mind.
Forgive my unrighteousness
Which You made righteousness
Through Jesus’ sacrifice.
Let me never lose sight of the cross
And the price He paid for my sins.

 

Thank You for sending Jesus,
For Your love for this world
For all tribes, languages, nations, and peoples,
And for including me as one of Yours.
Let me live this day for You,
Directed, guided, and drawn even closer to You
And those You want me to seek
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

In my book, a leave a place to journal. You don’t have to buy my book to do this daily activity.

In the Roman Catholic tradition, people are taught to give up something for lent. My church does not practice this. It is not in the Bible, except that fasting is mentioned with times of prayer, always with thanksgiving for God’s answers to prayer. For me, it is a time of scripture reading and recognizing the lengths to which God went and still does, to redeem my soul. It is a time of reflection, study, and prayer. Currently I am reading through the Bible in a year, a discipline to study God’s word, and an in depth study of the book of  1 Samuel and Revelation in two separate classes. It is also a time of sharing my blogs on the internet daily, and sharing a Bible verse each day with my Wordle puzzle. There are various Lenten studies available on the internet should you wish to use one of those.

I hope my book is a blessing to you. Should you want your own copy, it is available at www.bettyjackson.net and on Amazon.