Pray, face, receive

As I thought about the readings for this Sunday I thought especially of Lent. This is the season in which we remember Jesus being tempted in the wilderness as we read in the gospel reading for Sunday (Matthew 4:1-12).

I have often thought of Lent as the ultimate Spiritual exercise regime, it is a bit like aerobics!  I have tried normal aerobics, water aerobics and even step aerobics.  I have enjoyed each one but each one has caused me to get the moves wrong and to give up.

I started normal aerobics and it was going ok to be honest, until... I developed a lack of co-ordination followed by the strangest back pain ever which was like my stomach grumbling but in my back.  I suspect the lack of co-ordination had something to do with it!

Then there came water aerobics,  I was happily doing all the right exercises but then I realised that I was doing them differently to everyone else. Wearing my glasses so that I could see the instructor may have helped !  

Then I tried step aerobics, which would have been fine if I had not kept falling off the step.

All these attempts at aerobics led me to believe that me and aerobics are never going to be the best of friends.  

I am pleased that spiritual exercises are less energetic. Taking time to read the Bible, to pray and to listen to God is so important, it helps us to grow closer to God.

Prayer is about talking to God. My time with Him is to be time when I can be open with Him, explain what I am feeling and ask for His help.  In the wilderness Jesus prayed. 

In the wilderness Jesus also faced temptation. Temptation is one of those words that reminds me of a juicy book or soap-opera, and people doing something incredibly bad. But temptation can also be gossip, it can be saying an unkind word, it can be holding a grudge against someone, it can be about not letting go of hurt caused to us by someone else.  

Temptation is what ever takes us away from God and all that He is asking us to do. Which is, to be more like Him and to think before we do something. It may be to ask ourselves if all we do and say matches up to God. None of us is perfect and we make mistakes but part of being a disciple, a follower of Jesus is to keep turning to Him and turning away from all that would stop us being like Him.

At the end of the gospel reading we read that angels ministered to Jesus. Jesus had gone to get closer to the Father, He had faced temptation and now He was able to receive more and more of God’s love. 

I love the idea of angels ministering to Him. God ministers to us by helping  us, by loving us, by always being there and all He asks is that we trust Him to be a part of our lives. 

Lent and everyday is to be about praying, facing up to any difficulties, celebrating any joys and most importantly, recognising and receiving God’s love. I hope that I will use this Lent well to pray, face up, celebrate and  receive!