Lenten Journey
Week One - Entering the Garden (Ash Wednesday–Saturday)
Pause · Ponder · Pray · Practice (Rest)
Welcome to this time of focus on Jesus' final hours.
He is pleased you have come.
Let this journey be unhurried.
Come when you can. Each day stands alone-no need to catch up.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday so there are four days of devotionals this week.
Each one ends with the practice of rest in God's presence.
This time of contemplation is often the most impactful.
Sundays throughout Lent are a pause —
a quiet lifting of the eyes toward resurrection hope.
Day One — Don't Let Your Hearts Be Troubled
Ash Wednesday
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Pause
Take a moment to still your soul,
To quiet your mind and your body
for this time in God’s presence.
Our journey with Jesus begins as His draws to completion.
For the Son of Man, this the beginning of the end.
Jesus has just left the upper room.
There He shared Passover with His disciples...
washed their feet,
and spoke of a betrayer.
Luke 22:39; John 18:1
Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees.
Take some time to envision this moment in Jesus’ life.
Notice the weight of the night.
The road beneath their feet.
The uncertainty about what is coming
Consider what might be stirring in Jesus’ heart--
and in the hearts of His disciples.
Ponder
On this walk with His followers,
Jesus opened His heart,
speaking tenderly of His care for them.
Read John 14:1-3 slowly and quietly:
John 14:1–3
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
Read it again, choosing one word or phrase to rest with.
What do you notice about Jesus’ heart here?
What comfort does He offer in the face of what lies ahead?
Turn this word or phrase over gently, like a fragile treasure.
Pray
Ask the Holy Spirit to make Jesus’ words personal to you.
What is He inviting you to know?
To trust?
To release?
Open your heart and ask Him to write His love deeply within you.
Practice (Rest)
In quietness hold space for Jesus
as He arrives at the Mount of Olives.
Sit in stillness with what you have received.
Let all other thoughts fall away...
except the awareness of God’s presence here and now.
Let Him love you.
If it helps, play worship music softly.
If your mind wanders, gently whisper:
“I receive Your love,”
or “I love You, Lord.”
Stay.
Day Two — A Man of Sorrows
Thursday
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Pause
Be still.
Breathe deep.
These are precious moments in Christ's presence.
Hundreds of years before Jesus came,
the prophet Isaiah described Him
as a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3).
The painful fulfillment of this prophecy
begins here at Gethsemane.
Matthew 26:36–38
Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Take a moment to imagine what it means for God
to feel His soul crushed with grief.
Notice Jesus in the garden--
His posture,
His words,
His vulnerability.
Allow yourself to linger here.
Don't seek understanding or resolve.
Just be in this moment.
Ponder
Just before this moment,
Jesus had spoken tenderly to His disciples
about love, presence, and promise.
Read His words slowly and quietly:
John 14:15–18
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.
Read it again,
choosing one word or phrase or thought
that draws your attention.
What do you notice about Jesus’ heart in these words--
spoken on the edge of sorrow?
What truth does He offer
even as His own anguish draws closer?
Turn this word or phrase or thought over
gently in your mind, like a fragile treasure.
Pray
Ask the Holy Spirit to make Jesus’ words personal to you.
What is He inviting you to know in this place of sorrow?
What does He want you to trust--
about Him, about love, about presence?
Open your heart
and ask Him to write this truth deeply within you.
Practice (Rest)
There is nothing to fix or accomplish here.
Remain with Jesus in His struggle for a few quiet moments.
Let His grief and His love be held together before you.
If it helps, sit in silence or play gentle worship music.
When your mind wanders, softly whisper:
“I receive Your love,”
or “I am here with You.”
Stay.
Day Three — Only the Father
Friday
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Pause
Take a quiet assessment of your body.
Relax each part, from head to shoulders-
to stomach to arms and legs.
Sit in soft stillness,
taking in the peace of Christ.
Jesus is in torment of soul,
anticipating the struggle yet to come.
He wrestles, yet His closest friends
seem unable to comprehend the heaviness of it all.
Mark 14:34–37
He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?
Pause and imagine what it means to be in such torment--
and to have no one on earth fully awake to it.
Notice Jesus returning again and again,
hoping not to be alone.
Sit with the weight of this moment.
Do not rush past it.
Ponder
Earlier as they walked to this place,
Jesus spoke tenderly to His followers
about love, obedience, and belonging.
John 14:21–23
Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?” Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.
Read it again,
choosing one word or phrase or thought
that draws your attention.
What do you notice about Jesus’ heart in these words--
spoken just before His deepest loneliness?
What truth is He offering,
even as human companionship fails Him?
Turn this word or phrase over gently in your mind,
like a fragile treasure.
Pray
Ask the Holy Spirit to make Jesus’ words personal to you.
What is He inviting you to know about love that abides?
About presence that does not leave--
even when others cannot stay awake?
Open your heart
and ask Him to write this truth
deeply within you.
Practice (Rest)
Remain here with Jesus in the garden.
Let the silence speak.
Notice that though His friends sleep,
the Father is near.
Jesus is not unseen.
He is not abandoned.
Sit quietly with this mystery.
If your mind wanders, gently whisper:
“I am here,”
or “You are not alone.”
If it helps, play gentle worship music.
Stay.
Day Four — In Struggle, We See Him
Saturday
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Pause
Breathe in the wonder that Jesus is here.
Around you.
With you.
In you.
Sit in stillness as you settle your soul for this time.
This is a pivotal moment in the garden.
The plan that Father, Son, and Spirit formed
before the foundation of the world,
now consumes Jesus.
He holds the cup of suffering He is about to drink,
envisioning what it will mean.
Luke 22:41–45
He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief.
Pause and consider what this cup holds--
and what it means for Jesus to carry it,
wishing He did not have to.
Notice His posture.
The struggle.
The surrender that does not come easily.
Remain here.
Ponder
Earlier that night,
Jesus spoke words of peace to His followers.
Read His words slowly and quietly:
John 14:25–27
I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Read it again,
watching for one word or phrase or thought
that you can rest with.
What do you notice about Jesus’ heart in these words—
spoken from within His struggle?
What kind of peace does He offer,
knowing what lies ahead?
Hold this word or phrase gently,
like a fragile treasure.
Pray
Ask the Holy Spirit to make Jesus’ words personal to you.
What is He inviting you to know
about obedience that wrestles?
About peace that comes without escape?
Open your heart
and ask Him to write this truth deeply within you.
Practice (Rest)
Stay with Jesus in this moment of struggle.
Do not rush toward resolution.
Let His honest prayer make room for your own.
Let peace be present
without removing the weight of the cup.
If your mind wanders, gently whisper:
“Not my will,”
or “I trust You.”
If it helps, listen to gentle worship music.
Remain.
Sunday Pause — A Quiet Return to Hope
Today is a pause.
Receive the gift of Sabbath and resurrection hope.
You may return tomorrow — unhurried.
Psalm 16:11
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.
If you’d like, simply sit with Jesus for a few minutes and whisper:
“I receive Your love.”