Lent & the Spiritual Disciplines

Henri Nouwen once wrote, “In the spiritual life, the word ‘discipline’ means ‘the effort to create some space in which God can act’… if we create space in which God can act and speak, something surprising will happen. You and I are called to these disciplines if we want to be disciples.”

I have a passion for reading the writings and biographies of the early church Fathers and Mothers. I am always moved and filled with wonder at their capacity to know, hear, and follow God’s voice in their lives. Yet, I am also often left feeling a bit melancholy. Why, I wonder, if God does not change,* if indeed He is the same today as yesterday, then why do I not have that same degree or intensity of relationship with Him as those great Patriarchs and Matriarchs?

Could it be that they lived lives with much more space for God in them? Fasting, solitude, penitence, giving, serving… were all regular parts of their lives. In my life, they are very limited experiences only. Christ spoke of “when you give, when you fast, when you serve…” never if. The example of Christ at the beginning of the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke shows us the disciplines of solitude and fasting that Christ intentionally practiced – after His baptism yet before the beginning of His public service.

The practices of Spiritual Disciplines should therefore be the result of and response to our recognized dedication and devotion to God, and their purpose is to prepare us for and lead us to the path of service. We should not practice these disciplines for their own sake, but for the purpose of being prepared, tested, and empowered for God’s purposes for His Church, His Children, and His Creation.

The season of Lent offers us the opportunity to intentionally set aside time in our day for God to work in unexpected ways.

*(See Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8)

Book suggestion: The Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster