Monday, February 22, 2021

Prayer for Lent - Day 5 - Monday (February 22, 2021)
Gospel Reading: Luke 4:9-15

     God we seem to spend a lot of time trying to figure out who we are. We explore hidden pathways. We await mysterious revelations. But we do not tend to take You at your word when You call us your beloved children, or your chosen and holy ones.
     Because we are not comfortable with the names that You have given us, we are easily tempted to think that we must have extraordinary spiritual experiences, or perform unusual feats of courage, generosity, trust, or self-deprivation in order to prove who we are, in order to show the world that we deserve, in some measure, the identity that You have given to us in your generous love.
     Forgive us for our failure to trust You. Forgive us for our unwillingness to receive the identity that that You give us for our well-being and your glory in the world.
     Enable us to follow Jesus, who turned aside very temptation by trusting You and by living in your word, in such a way, that he could recognize and rebuff even temptation that was based on twisting your word for deadly purposes.
     Enable us to trust You in every circumstance and not test your fidelity to us by taking on showy challenges that draw attention to ourselves.
     You have been for us in great generosity and love. Enable us to be for You in tenacity and loving fidelity as we depend upon You completely. Amen.


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