40 Days of Lent Devotions

Lectio Divina: Read, Meditate, Pray, and Experience.

Lectio Divina relies on the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the expression of each discipline. Here is a basic exercise in Lectio Divina. In the morning, commit the Bible verse to your memory or write it down and keep it with you. During the day, think about the verse.

You may have the desire to say the verse out loud (read). You may find yourself trying to understand its meaning or a part of the verse is grabbing your attention (meditate). There might me a stirring within you to speak with God or to bring a thought to God (pray). You might feel the loving agape of God or God responding to your presence in the verse (experience).

Week 1 - Prayer

Day 1: How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! - Luke 9:13b
Day 2: Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that the very Spirit intercedes for us with sights too deep for words. - Romans 8:26
Day 3: Be still and know that I am God. - Psalm 46:10
Day 4: Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. - Jeremiah 33:3
Day 5: The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. - James 5:16b
Day 6: Pray without ceasing. - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Week 2 - God's Will

Day 1: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28
Day 2: God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God's sight. - Luke 16:15b
Day 3: Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven. Matthew 7:21
Day 4: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
Day 5: See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. - Isaiah 48:10
Day 6: Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. - Matthew 6:10

Week 3 - God's Wisdom and Truth

Day 1: But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. - Matthew 6:33
Day 2: By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. - Galatians 5:22-23
Day 3: Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." - John 8:31-32
Day 4: Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6
Day 5: It is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God. - 1Corinthians 1:30a
Day 6: Wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. - 1Corinthians 1:30b

Week 4 - Peace and Rest

Day 1: I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I will trust." - Psalm 91:2
Day 2: And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:7
Day 3: "Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28
Day 4: Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. - Matthew 11:29
Day 5: For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. - Matthew 11:30
Day 6: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. - Matthew 5:9

Week 5 - Service and Strength

Day 1: "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." - Matthew 6:24
Day 2: "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve." - Joshua 24:15a
Day 3: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." - Joshua 24:15b
Day 4: "Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you." - Deuteronomy 31:6
Day 5: "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you," says the Lord. - Jeremiah 1:8
Day 6: "Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." - Nehemiah 8:10b

Week 6 - Faith and Belief

Day 1: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1
Day 2: For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. - 1 Corinthians 13:12
Day 3: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6
Day 4: For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. - Matthew 17:20