Lent Devotional April 3, 2025

Scripture

Psalm 27

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!

Devotion

The Rev. Luke Farwell ’18

What would you do if someone offered you the thing you’ve been desiring and dreaming about? Would you accept that gift if it meant radically changing your life and perhaps the lives of those you love?

The Psalmist describes God as “my light and my salvation,” “the stronghold of my life” that banishes fear. His heart calls him to “seek [God’s] face,” his earnest request is “to live in the house of the Lord” and “to behold the beauty of the Lord,” and he finishes the poem believing: “I shall see the goodness of the Lord.” His earnest yearning for God as the utmost object of his desire is evident; he earnestly seeks a life dwelling with God as his treasure.

The gospels invite us to ponder the question: what would I do if someone offered me the thing I’ve been desiring and dreaming about? After all, Jesus proclaimed “the kingdom of God is at hand.” The Psalmist’s desire is within reach; God has come to dwell with us on earth.

If we are honest, we spend most of our lives focusing on what we believe will give us joy. When, in truth, Jesus tells us that we might be closer to that treasure than we can imagine. Regardless, we spend our time looking for that elusive treasure everywhere except where we are. Why is this? Could it be that we know in our hearts that the treasure is so real and within our grasp that we are afraid of what discovering such a treasure would do to our lives? And that is precisely why we persist in looking elsewhere.

This Lenten season, let us reflect on what the kingdom of heaven would look like if we were to find it. How would it change us? Are we ready for such an incredible gift? In his Letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul writes that through Christ, God has “ . . . blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” With the knowledge of this revelation, are we prepared to accept such a gift? Let us pray that we dare to claim such a gift and to live with such joy that others would notice this day. Our discovery of this treasure could not only transform us but also inspire and bless those around us.

Prayer

Help me, dear God, to look for your kingdom in the place where I reside, like the one who found a treasure buried in a field. Let me have the courage to dig into the soil of my soul to discover your grace and kingdom, which is as near to me as my very breath. In trusting you, I may find my true purpose and joy in life. Amen.

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