DAY 1 – ASH WEDNESDAY

Topic: Return to the Lord

Scripture (KJV)

Joel 2:13
“And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”

Devotional

Ash Wednesday marks the sacred beginning of the Lenten journey. It is a day marked by humility, reflection, and a sobering awareness of human frailty. Ashes symbolize mortality, repentance, and the acknowledgment that life apart from God is empty and temporary.

Yet God’s call is not to external displays of sorrow but to internal surrender.

The prophet Joel delivers a profound instruction: “rend your heart, and not your garments.” In ancient times, tearing garments signified grief or repentance. However, God declared that outward expression without inward transformation is insufficient. He desires a broken and surrendered heart.

True repentance is not shame-driven; it is grace-driven.

Repentance is not condemnation; it is invitation.

It is God’s loving call to return.

Many believers carry silent burdens — regrets, unspoken failures, hidden wounds, and unresolved guilt. These weights quietly drain spiritual vitality and weaken intimacy with God. Lent begins with the sacred permission to lay those burdens down.

God is not calling you to punishment.
He is calling you to restoration.

Joel reminds us of God’s character: gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in kindness. Repentance is safe because God is compassionate.

This day invites you to examine your heart without fear. What attitudes need surrender? What wounds need healing? What burdens need releasing?

Returning to God is not about moving toward Him for the first time. It is about moving closer than you have ever been before.

Repentance clears the pathway for renewal.

A surrendered heart becomes fertile ground for transformation.

Ashes remind us of mortality.
Grace reminds us of mercy.
Repentance opens the door to restoration.

Today, return to the Lord.

Prayer

Father, I thank You because I know You hear me. Let Your will be done.

Lord, on this sacred beginning of the Lenten journey, I come before You with humility and sincerity. Search my heart and reveal anything within me that separates me from Your presence. Remove pride, hidden sin, bitterness, fear, and every burden I have carried in silence.

I surrender my failures, regrets, disappointments, and unspoken pain. Cleanse my heart and renew my spirit. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Teach me to repent with sincerity, not out of guilt or fear, but from a desire to draw closer to You. Let Your mercy wash over me and Your grace restore me.

Help me release what You have not called me to carry. Heal wounded places in my soul. Restore joy where sorrow has lingered. Replace heaviness with hope.

Draw me nearer to You during this sacred season. Remove distractions. Quiet my mind. Strengthen my spirit. Awaken within me a deeper hunger for Your presence.

I return to You today with my whole heart.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Declaration

Today I return to the Lord with sincerity and humility. My heart is open, my spirit is receptive, and my life is aligned with God’s grace. I release guilt, shame, and hidden burdens. I receive mercy, renewal, and restoration. God’s compassion restores me, His grace sustains me, and His love transforms me. This is my season of repentance, renewal, and spiritual awakening. I am returning, I am being restored, and I am walking in divine grace.

Daily Reflection Word

Repentance — turning away from sin and returning to God.

Scripture: Acts 3:19
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…”

Selah Moment with Dr. Althea Winifred