Day 1 - March 5, 2025
Welcome to the Lent - A Closer Walk with God 40-Day Devotion!
Lent is a special time to draw near to God. The Bridge invites you to a daily devotion during March and early April. Every day, you’ll find a new Bible verse paired with a thoughtful devotion designed to inspire and uplift your spirit.
Take this time to enjoy a closer walk with God. The next 40 days of prayer, fasting, reflection, repentance, and giving will stretch you. But they will also be very rewarding. Each devotion will encourage you to examine how you incorporate prayer, fasting, reflection, repentance, and giving into your life.
This is a great time to take a closer walk with God. Come back each day, and we will enjoy this walk together!
Over the next month, you will be led through scripture and devotionals, which will help you draw closer to God.
Read a short devotion and a selected Bible verse each day. Take time to reflect and pray.
Let’s get started with Day 1!
DEVOTION
There is a lot going on In these verses that help us to understand a couple ways in praying.
Lent is a season of reflection and drawing near to God. One of the best ways we can do this is in prayer. This scripture, Matthew 6:5-6, invite us to examine our hearts—especially in how we pray. In this scripture, He contrasts two approaches to prayer: one loud and showy, the other quiet and sincere. The hypocrites, as Jesus describes them, weren’t wrong to pray—they were wrong in why/how they went about praying. Their goal was applause from others, not connection with God. Their reward was fleeting: a moment of human approval that faded as quickly as it came.
I don’t know the maturity level of the “hypocrites” as Jesus calls them, but I do know that they knew what they were doing. When I was a bit younger and less mature, I would sing in front of people to get their applause. I’d lead worship for “Jesus”, but really I was hoping someone would come up to me after church and tell me how amazing I was. I was longing for that human approval and not connection with God. So, as Jesus points out in this scripture, I was being a hypocrite, and truly…..I was.
So, what can we do? How can we make it a connection with God, and not a “Look at how Spiritual I am” prayer?
Jesus points us to something deeper. “Go into your room,” He says. “Close the door.” This isn’t just about physical space—it’s about the posture of our souls. This reminds us that God isn’t impressed by our performances. He doesn’t need our eloquence or our public displays. He longs for us—our real, unpolished selves—brought before Him in honesty and trust.
Think about your own prayer life for a moment. Is it a stage where you feel pressure to perform, even if only for yourself? Or is it a refuge, a quiet place where you meet the Father who already knows you fully? Lent is a perfect time to strip away the noise and rediscover the simplicity of talking to God as a child to a parent. Jesus promises that when we pray in secret, the Father who sees us there will reward us—not with applause, but with His presence, His peace, and His transforming love.
So, this Lent season, let’s be intentional to follow Jesus’ example. He often withdrew to places to pray (Luke 5:16). Before He went to the cross, He sought the Father in the garden, pouring out His soul in private agony (Matthew 26:39). If the Son of God needed that quiet space with the Father, how much more do we?
If you’re like me, then you probably want a practical action plan to help. Here are some ways, but I’m sure you’d be able to come up with more on your own.
1. Set Aside a Quiet Space: Find a spot in your home—a chair, a corner, even a closet—where you can pray without distraction. Make it your “room” for Lent, a place to meet God daily.
2. Simplify Your Words: For the next week, try praying without worrying about how it sounds. Speak plainly—share your fears, joys, and needs as you would with a trusted friend.
3. Fast from Public Praise: If you’re tempted to share your spiritual progress (like fasting or prayer habits) with others for affirmation, pause. Keep it between you and God instead, trusting Him to see it.
4. Start Small: Commit to 5 minutes of private prayer each day. No agenda, no script—just you and the Father. Let it grow naturally as Lent continues.
Would you pray with me?
PRAYER
Father, You see me as I am, even when no one else does. Thank You for inviting me into Your presence, not because of what I can say or do, but because of Your love. During this Lent, teach me to pray with a sincere heart. Quiet the noise around me and within me, so I can hear Your voice. Help me to trust that You’re with me in the secret places, shaping me into who You’ve called me to be. I lay my burdens, my hopes, and my silence before You now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
VERSE
Verse Matthew 6:5-6 (NIV)
Don't have your Bible handy? Click here to read online.
AUTHOR
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Chris Scotland
Chris Scotland adds to The Morning Show with Denise and Chris, and he is the Assistant Program Director at The Bridge.Hi! You should probably know this about me, first. I'm always 30 seconds away from crying. Just a heads up. You should also know that I love Jesus, my wife, coffee, my kids, coffee, and Star Wars. I also love coffee. If you had asked me 20 years ago what I would be doing as a career, I would have told you that I would be in the music industry. However, I would have been the one on the radio singing the songs, not the one playing them. But....God had a bigger and better story.
