You count, and so does God

A man called a wrong number and got the following recording. “I am not available right now, but I thank you for caring enough to call me. I am making some changes in my life this Lent. Please leave a message after the beep. If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes.”

God will never treat you like that. YOU count to Him. He created you, saved you through the blood of His Son and has gifted you with the Holy Spirit. Even in our sinfulness, God loves us and wants to hear from us and talk with us. We are precious to the Lord. It is not what we give up but what we do and are that is most important for Lent.

Just as Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert, but trusted always in the Father, so we must do the same. We need to resolve during these 40 days to turn back to a greater trust in God and to live out Gospel values in our day- today life. It is not by chance that we pray, “Your ways, Oh Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.” This Psalm response is to help us to have that confidence that you count always to the Lord.

Our readings this Sunday all speak of a covenant or a contract or commitment or promise of two parties. It defined the relationship and the expectations they had of one another. God is asking us to give Him 40 days of time, love, listening and growth. We hear of the covenant God made with Noah after the great flood, and He asked nothing of His people in return. This is unusual, for He gave us the rainbow but expected nothing of us except to trust in Him. So, also Jesus goes into the desert for 40 days to prepare for His work in the world. These 30 days of Lent are our challenge to prepare for the great gift of Easter and the mystery of eternal life.

Forty is a number ripe with connections. It is considered the official midpoint of life, and after 40 you begin the slide over and down the hill!

It is the number of years Moses spent leading the Israelites, Jesus spent in the desert preparing for His public ministry, the usual number of weeks for a human gestation. In the Jewish tradition, forty signifies a period of probation or trial and so it is the same with Christians in 40 days of Lent.

It is to be our time to be hungry for God’s Word to take root in us so we will be ready for the great feast of Easter. It is our time to deny ourselves or give more of ourselves, to let God into our minds and hearts and not just offer him a third or fourth spot in our hearts. Lent is really about letting God count, not you! God never tires of us and will always return your call, if you need to make the first step.

That is the purpose of Lent — to take the steps towards God.