3 Ways to Prepare Your Heart for Lent
Lent is a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and reflection observed by Christians around the world that prepares our hearts for Easter. More than just a routine, the Lenten season offers us a unique opportunity to pause, create space for God to work in our lives and reflect on our relationship with Jesus.
Lent is the perfect opportunity to remember when God’s Word first came alive for you. Here are three ways you can prepare your heart for the season.
1. Reflect on Why Lent Matters
In a fast-paced world filled with distractions, Lent calls us to slow down and refocus. It offers a sacred pause — a chance to reflect on Jesus’ journey to the cross, His sacrifice and the hope of His resurrection. Observing Lent helps us prepare our hearts for Easter in a meaningful way, reminding us of the transformative power of God and His Word.
For many believers, Lent is an opportunity to re-center our lives on Christ. As we read about Jesus’ final meal with His disciples, His words during His trial and His final moments on the cross, we’re reminded of the profound depth of God’s love for us. He sacrificed His one and only Son so that we could have eternal life. Lent ends on Good Friday, and when we observe it, we are also reminded that Jesus’ death was not the end of the story — the beauty of Resurrection Sunday was just around the corner. Even though we will endure pain and mourning here on earth, the journey of Lent encourages us that God has the ultimate victory over sin and death!
When someone first encounters the truth of God through Scripture, they are often moved and transformed in powerful ways. Whether they’ve read only a single verse or the entire Bible, God’s Word inspires hope and healing in their lives. Think about what it would be like to finally experience the joy of Christ’s resurrection in your own language for the first time!
So as you read Scripture passages this Lenten season on your own or in your church that focus on Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, see how God is bringing the depth and beauty of Scripture to people all around the world too.
Holding a Bible in His Language for the First Time: Renato’s Story
There’s something special about the first time God’s Word comes alive. Renato Alonso, a Huallaga Quechua pastor in Peru, remembers when he bought a Bible in his language: “The very next day I brought the Bible to church. First I read it in Spanish, and then I read it in Quechua,” he said. “When I read it to the congregation in Quechua, the people in the church just became so happy! They said, ‘Pastor, thank you so much, because now we truly understand!’
Renato joined a translation team that was working to translate the Old Testament for Quechua languages. When he’s not preaching or translating, Renato uses Scripture to help kids learn about God and improve their reading.
“Many people have understood what it means to be saved because of the Scriptures in their language,” he said. “And their lives have changed dramatically.” For Renato and his community, reading the Bible in their own language allowed them to experience God in a whole new way.
2. Make Space for Spiritual Renewal
Lent isn’t just about giving something up: It’s about intentionally seeking God and asking Him to move in our hearts. For 40 days, we set aside the things that distract us in order to focus on what God wants from us. When we do so, He can awaken our hearts in new and profound ways. In the U.S., Easter arrives in the springtime; Lent takes us on a journey out of winter — out of darkness and uncertainty — and into a season of new life and growth.
Think about the joy of someone receiving the Bible in their own language for the first time — to them, God’s Word is fresh, vibrant and full of hope, like a spiritual springtime. Lent allows us to experience the freshness of God’s Word again, as if we were encountering it for the first time.
Seeing God’s Word Come Alive for the First Time: Pastor Montri’s Journey
Pastor Montri Siriwattanapaitoon has an exceptional gift for reading. He can read and understand the Scriptures in his second and third languages, Thai and English. But growing up Deaf, and as a follower of another major world religion, there was a time when he didn’t know anything about the Bible because it was not in his language — Thai Sign Language.
When Pastor Montri first attended a Deaf church, where the Deaf members also struggled to understand the Scriptures, experience showed him just how desperately the Thai Deaf need the Scriptures in their own language. Over time, as Pastor Montri studied the Bible more, he recognized his sin, saw his need for a Savior and accepted Christ. Pastor Montri said:
Now Pastor Montri serves as a team leader; he’s passionate about bringing God’s Word to life for the Thai Deaf community. The translation is making a huge impact, empowering Thai Deaf to understand, share and dwell on Scripture in their own language for the first time.
3. Return to When God’s Word First Spoke to You
What is a verse or passage of Scripture that has spoken to your heart and transformed you? Think about the moment when God’s Word became alive, personal and real.
Reflecting on Jesus’ final words this Lenten season can help us rediscover the depth of His love and mission. What He said leading up to the cross is not only a declaration of His purpose but an invitation to renew our faith and share His hope with the world.
Sharing a Verse for the First Time: The Zanaki Community of Tanzania
When Scripture is dedicated, it’s often the first opportunity that a community has to experience God’s Word in their own language. When the Zanaki community in Tanzania dedicated their New Testament last summer, a speaker selected Hebrews 4:12 for the first Scripture reading of the ceremony:
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (NLT).
Hundreds of people gathered on a soccer field to witness history in the making — their New Testament in Zanaki. The guest of honor at this celebration was the chief of the Zanaki tribe. He ended his speech by saying,
For the Zanaki community, that moment wasn’t just about receiving a book — it was about encountering God personally in their own language. Choosing Hebrews 4:12 reflected their belief in Scripture’s power to speak to their hearts, shape their faith and reveal truth to their community. Now, as they engage with the Bible in Zanaki, they have the opportunity to grow in their understanding of God and see His Word transform their community.
Rekindle Your Love for God’s Word
When was the last time you sat with Scripture long enough to allow it to illuminate your life or change your perspective?
Lent creates a space for the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts, renewing and refreshing us; it invites us to remember Jesus’ journey to the cross and engage with God’s Word intentionally.
As we read through Jesus’ final words on earth and hear them in our church services during this season, it can be easy to take our access to Scripture for granted. We often forget the privilege it is to have God’s Word in our own language. Michael and Jamie Higdon, partners with a Bible translation project in northwest Tanzania, realized this:
“Through our partnership with Wycliffe, the Lord has reminded us to cherish Scripture. We treasure the Word of God and have greater appreciation for every word because of our understanding of what it took [to have the Bible in our own language]. Frankly, it has forced us to recognize how we can take Scripture for granted, despite its ready availability to us.”
As you reflect on Jesus’ final words and their significance, consider how you can help others experience that same gift: the life-changing power of Scripture in a language they truly understand. May this Lenten season be a time of spiritual spring in your life — and the lives of people around the world.
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