Gratitude Day 412

Tues., Feb. 25, 2020

Romans 8:26: And in the same way—by our faith—the Holy Spirit helps us with our daily problems and in our praying. For we don’t even know what we should pray for nor how to pray as we should, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed in words.

Tomorrow – Wed., Feb. 26 – is a special day.

Special maybe not in the normal sense of the word. But special to me because it is the first day of Lent 2020.

Lent is a part of the Christian calendar. A setting apart of the 40 days before Easter as a time to look inside of ourselves. See what we like. What we don’t like. How we can walk closer with God. Challenge ourselves to make tweaks towards becoming the best version of who God created us to be.

Each Lent, I challenge myself to practice my faith in a deeper and personally more meaningful way. For 40 days, I commission myself to be more intentional. Thoughtful. Purposeful. These Lenten practices have focused on a variety of things. Sometimes, I fast from things and try to remove them from my life. Other times, I add in something, a practice that is designed to draw me closer to God.

For Lent 2020, I’m adding in intentional prayer. Yes, I pray every day. It’s a part of who I am. I try to make prayer the first thing I do in the morning before my feet hit the group. I close the day reciting the Lord’s Prayer after I have climbed back into bed. And yes, there are other prayers throughout the day.

As part of this 40 Days of Praying for Lent 2020, I’ve put together a little chart to help me focus daily prayer. Each day (minus the Sabbath), there’s a specific topic of sorts that to use in prayer. Sometimes, the daily prayer affirmation encourages you to pray for yourself. Some days, it’s looking at people or the world around you. It’s a little way to help you be intentional and focused on prayer throughout the 40 days of Lent.

On page two, there is a chart where you can write down ideas related to the specific prayer affirmation for the day. This is a way for you to record what you’ve prayed for on a specific day. I encourage you to use this chart as a way to continue praying for each of these daily prayer affirmations throughout Lent.

Sometimes, it’s hard to know exactly what to pray for. People have shared this with me consistently over the years. My prayer is that this chart will provide you specific ways to focus your prayer during Lent 2020.

To print off a copy of the 40 Days of Prayer for Lent 2020 guide, either click on the photos above or download this PDF:

Will you join me in this special 40 Days of Prayer for Lent 2020?

For the desire and encouragement to focus prayer during Lent this year, I am grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Dear God – As Lent begins this year, place it upon my heart ways that I can look inside of myself and grow spiritually. Together, may we discover ways for You to speak more clearly to me throughout these next 40 days of Lent. Encourage me to be more specific about prayer during this time. May I find a time of focused prayer personally enriching this Lent. Amen.

If you have enjoyed this blog, please pass it along to someone else who will also enjoy it.