Lenten Series: Readings from the Liturgy of the Hours

Please take a look at the post from 4/1/09 to see how this blog works.

The next series of posts will be based on Scripture texts from The Liturgy of the Hours. For almost two years now I have made it a regular, mostly daily, practice to use this traditional prayer-book as a means of adding greater discipline to prayer in my life. Ideally, one attends to prayer at seven intervals during the day (the "hours" and not 60 minutes in length!). During each hour there are passages from the scriptures that are to be read or recited; frequently passages from the gospels, epistles, and psalms. The posts made between now and Easter will be taken from these passages.
Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. This liturgical season is a time of challenging confrontation with our thoughts and behaviors that are inconsistent with God's best way for us. Throughout Lent we are called to return to a right path while at the same time reminded of our inability to be righteous and do right without the grace and power of God at work in us. Ash Wednesday's reading during Vespers (the evening hour) is from Paul's letter to the Philippians, chapter 2 verses 12 and 13:
-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

In context, Paul is urging Christ's followers to consider how Jesus was submitted to the Father as an example to us. That obedience of the Son ultimately brought to us the way to be saved from our sins and made acceptable to God. We are then commanded to walk out this work of God most seriously (with fear and trembling.) But our hope for being able to do so does not lie within us, it is in God, Himself who gives us both the heart and the help obey this command.

Take some time now to hear this word of direction for life from the Holy Spirit and converse with God about how you should respond today in your life. Listen to him give you assurances of his help, even to the point of giving you the heart to turn and obey.


The words, "it is God who works in you" remind me to look at the temptations to be less than loving, oriented toward selfishness and dismissive of others, as places where God can and will do the job in me. I am seldom able to avoid the temptation, but I can see in them a God at Work sign. Moreover this is really part of his overall plan for my life.

Father in heaven, I wait with expectancy as you go to work in me, and I yield today to your life altering plan for me. I am humbled by the realization that this work is all part of your purpose for me and for your Kingdom.