Three Themes of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, and Giving

Photo of ashes for Lent by Ahna Ziegler on Unsplash.

Growing up Protestant, my family didn’t practice Lent. As an adult, I’ve been drawn to learning about Lent and its purpose in Christian life. After researching I found three common themes: prayer, fasting, and giving. Each part of the equation equips the believer to draw closer to Christ and focus on His sacrifice for us in this season.

Prayer

While there are many types of prayers, the prayer of confession resonated most with me for Lent. If humans had never sinned and separated mankind from a right relationship with the Father, Jesus never would have had to die in our place. As I acknowledge my own sins that Jesus gave His life for, my heart is humbled.

After we confess our sins, our prayers grow more powerful because the guilt and shame that blocked our access to God disappear. James 5:16-18 says, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (NKJV).

James reminds us that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, not a super human. I’ve never prayed for drought for three and a half years, but I want to pray big. If Elijah was a normal guy, then with a pure heart, my prayers can move mountains. During Lent, I’m asking God to search my heart to show me any wicked ways and lead me in the paths of righteousness (Psalm 139:23). Then, my prayers will be powerful and effective for God’s purposes.

Fasting

I’ve heard fasting defined as giving up physical food to gain spiritual nourishment. The Bible gives several reasons for fasting including mourning, praying for protection, asking for wisdom, praying for power, and entreating God for mercy. A good reason to fast during Lent is for repentance. That aligns with God revealing the confession of sin through prayer. 

Nehemiah 9:1-2 says, “Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers” (NKJV).

The children of Israel intermarried with foreign women while in exile, despite the Lord’s admonition that these wives would pull their hearts away from God. When they returned to Jerusalem, Nehemiah confronted them and the people assembled to separate themselves from all outsiders.

Today, I see this as a charge to not date or marry those who are nonbelievers. Yet, the lesson extends beyond just relationships. Besides marriage, we can often unite our hearts to things that separate us from a deeper relationship with God. Even good things can divide us from God when we make them into idols. Food, social media, jobs, power, cars, the list goes on and on. Fasting gives God space to convict us of any competing interests and draw us closer to Himself.

Giving

The last theme for Lent is giving, which aligns well with the example of God’s gift to us at Easter. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16 NKJV, emphasis mine). God freely gave His Son Jesus to restore His relationship with mankind. Christ, out of obedience to His Father, gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus also gave those who believe in Him the Holy Spirit to guide their lives on earth.
 
Deuteronomy 15:7-8 says, “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs” (NKJV).
 
Notice the Lord gave Hebrews the land from which they were to provide food for the poor. The people didn’t own this land, so none of the produce from it was their own. The people needed to be good stewards of God’s provision.
 
Not only are we to give of our money, but also our time, energy, and talents. Everything we have is from God. Everything. Therefore, we can’t hoard what we have for our own glory, but find ways to work for God’s glory.
 
I heard a story in 2020 about an elderly gentleman in Italy who got COVID and was on a respirator. He survived, but was handed a bill at the end. When he saw the amount, he wept. The nurses assured him they would find a way to pay his bill. He responded that he’d been breathing God’s oxygen for free for over 90 years and never thanked Him for it. He’d never realized how much he owed God for the air in His lungs. 

May we view every breath as a gift from God and use every resource He has given us for His Name’s sake.
 
This Lent, may we focus on these three themes: prayer, fasting, and giving as a means to prepare for the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. May we orient our lives to repentance and then posture our resources in a way that put God’s kingdom first. I pray we all enjoy Lent and deepen our relationship with our Lord Jesus.

• What time in your day works well for you to pray? If you don’t already have a rhythm of prayer in your routine, Lent is a great time to start.
• What do you plan to fast from for Lent? Spent time in repentance of sin and let in God’s power.
• Which resources is God calling you to use specifically for His purposes this Lent?