(Written by Pastor Gabe for the Lenten Blog at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, 2018)
“After he [Jesus] had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone…” (MT 14:21)
The middle of the semester seems to always be the most stressful. We are in the midst of studying for mid-term exams and writing those first papers. When we check the syllabus, though, we realize that although half of class time is over, most of the assignments are ahead of us. It surely is busy, and filled with anxiety. At least, that is my experience. If you have found this blog, you may have some interest in escaping from all of that.
In this season of lent, I find it appropriate to “rest” from school work and to draw close to God. This is what the season is all about. How can we be intentional about being closer to God? It may just seem like one more thing to do, but isn’t it the most important? Here is one simple prayer I have found helpful: “God, what is keeping me from drawing close to you today? Help me remove the junk in my life so I can be more focused, and find joy in my work. You are awesome.” It is easy to CTRL C + CTRL V this prayer several times on a Word document, hit print, cut them apart, and place them different places you might see them during the day. After all, even Jesus escaped the business of his life to spend time with God!