by
Valari Knight Logan
Let us take a good look at the tradition of Lent. For the most part, Lent is
sometimes seen as a mournful time, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Lent
is and should be a season of joy through repentance. By opening our hearts
more to God, confessing and asking His forgiveness we can make Lent a truly
joyful season.
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The Book of Psalms demonstrates that we can, through prayer, maintain a life
in God through constant repentance. Psalms covers the entire range of human
feelings and emotions through David’s fears, longings, doubts, hopes, anger,
joys, and sorrow, and depression. These are emotions that keep us away from
God. Repressed anger and depression are two common culprits that show up
most in women. These are emotions that also showed up in David. We are no
different than David. Every Christian wants to experience God’s presence,
and God wants us to spend time in communion with him. If we want to
experience God’s presence, we must call out to him in prayer, just as David
did. We must be willing to spend some time alone with God. One may think
that it’s just too difficult to find time in the day for a quiet interval
with God especially if you have a growing family with all the
responsibilities that come with the territory. But we somehow find time to
do the things that we really want to do. If spending time with God is a
priority, we will make time to do it.
It is true that God wants to talk to us, but sometimes we get so busy with
all our responsibilities and activities that we never spend some quiet time
alone with God waiting to feel his presence in our life. Business is a sin.
Sin separates us from the love of God and from the church. If people are in
a constant state of business, we will remain in a constant state of sin and
away from the corporate setting of church.
It is suggested in this lesson that we are less likely to think of ourselves
corporately, we must remember that when we come together to worship, we are
then in a corporate setting and that God hears our private and collective
prayers as we confess together as one body. We must though prepare ourselves
in a personal sense with God, otherwise our prayers, corporate or otherwise,
are no more than the noise of clanging cymbals.
*Psalm 6*
When we are sick, we go see the doctor to make us feel physically well. When
we are hurting, we go to our family or friends for emotional comfort and
support. When we are ailing spiritually, we too often feel we have to just
suffer in silence. But this has never been God’s plan for us. God wants us
to spend time in his presence. David’s cry here is for mercy over the
sickness if his sin. Our prayer should be that we confess the sickness, not
just the physical illnesses that attack our bodies, but also those illnesses
that keep us from the relationship and the experience of the knowledge of
God. As this experience deepens, our prayer should become less of a cry,
less of a pain and more of an act of communion and intercourse with the
Father. The more we commit to prayer, the more strength, joy, serenity and
hope abides in our hearts.
Sunday morning’s confessional prayer should be one of the times when we are
able to
empty ourselves of sin. It should be a time when we ask God to scourge or
cleanse us corporately. We should ask God to hear our prayers in earnest and
that those who are heard and answered be enthusiastic in their joy.
*Psalm 32*
While there is joy in the pardoned sinner, we must not forget the troubled
times that went before him, or the comfort that followed the confession of
sins. As Presbyterians we must keep in mind that confession is but a step to
the forgiveness of God. The blessing of forgiveness is the mercy from God
for His people. It is the undeserved merit that God chooses to blanket His
people so that we might be, once again, connected with Him.
(v.1) Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are
covered.
(v.2) Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
Emotions such as anger, bitterness or holding a grudge will open the door
for the devil to have a controlling force in your life. This will keep you
in prison (Ephesians 4:26-27) and makes repentance difficult. Paul’s advice
is to get rid of stored up anger and not to let it accumulate. When we
repent and are pardoned, the blessings of God are restored. (Read Proverbs
16:32) What God promises, he fulfills. If you are serious about repentance,
God is eager to fulfill and forgive. In this we find the comfort. We must
want to remain holy and righteous in his sight, so that we will continue to
receive life in Him. Rest in Christ Jesus is never found in a troubled mind.
Oswald Chambers wrote, “Conviction of sin is one of the rarest things that
ever strikes a man. It is the threshold of an understanding of God. Jesus
Christ said that when the Holy
Spirit came He would convict of sin, and when the Holy Spirit rouses a man’s
conscience
and brings him into the presence of God, it is not his relationship with men
that bothers him, but his relationship with God…. Repentance always brings
a man to this point: I have sinned. The surest sign that God is at work is
when a man says that and means it.”
Are you able to say you are a sinner and then make the petition to God to
remove the sin from your life? Request forgiveness and build a new
relationship in Christ.
*Psalm 51 *
This Psalm records David’s reaction to the remorse he experienced through
murder and adultery. It also demonstrates to us how to overcome the
overwhelming guilt that keeps us from the blessing of God. Guilt is a direct
result from sin, and sin is a violation of our relationship with God.
Whatever the cause, feelings of guilt can overwhelm us so much that we feel
miserable, or in extreme cases we may find we cannot interact normally with
our family and friends.
What a blessing it is for us to know that God is forgiving, and that He
wants to cleanse us of the sins which cause us to harbor guilt and
(imagined) hatred towards others. It is wonderful to know that nothing we do
or imagine is unpardonable in the sight of God. David’s example should be an
encouragement to each of us.
*Psalm 130*
The word WAIT is one that many of us do not like to hear. We dislike waiting
on lines, for packages, or God. We are a generation micro-processed food,
information and church. When we take tests we require immediate results.
When we pray to God, we want immediate results. We do not want to wait.
This Psalm demonstrates that the psalmist waits on the Lord. That his soul
waits and that in His word he places his hope. (v. 5-6) As we wait, we
cannot claim to wait on God’s redemption alone, but his answer for you. His
answers can be yes, no or maybe, but it is clear that we must wait for his
answer regardless of what it is or what we hope it will be.
We can be sure that God’s answer will encompass the fact that He wants to
forgive us, and that
THE WAIT THAT IS SINGULAR – “I wait on the Lord, my soul does wait…”
We are to wait only on the Lord.
THE WAIT IS SCRIPTURAL – “…and in his word do I hope.”
THE WAIT IS STEADFAST – “My soul waits for the Lord more than they that
watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
“While we wait we should realize that we are to be in a constant state
of growth in God. We should be improving and maturing in Him. We should
be praying fervently as Lent is a time to renew our life of prayer.
*Additions to the Suggestions for Leaders: *
If your prayer has grown stale or mechanical this is the time to seek
renewal. Changing the way we pray makes it exciting. You will never have
anything new in God if you continue doing what caused you to get that way in
the first place. One of my favorite sayings is that “If you want something
you’ve never had, you’ve got to do what you’ve never done. “Why not go on a
retreat or call the church to a day of prayer or fasting. Women across the
country are called to pray and fast. Prayer has a way of changing
circumstances and situations, while fasting itself has many aspects and is a
way for one to participate. It is a way of stripping ourselves of the
non-essentials of life in order to recognize those that are spiritually
important. It is good to remember that we could manage with a lot less food
and luxury that we enjoy. We can sometimes fill our lives with material
things to the extent that there is little room for God.
The prayers from The Book of Common Worship may demonstrate a good place to
begin, but as Christians, we should not be limited to the book of common
worship for our prayers. Our prayers should not be rehearsed or be the
prayers of others. Your confessions should be your prayers and not those
necessarily of someone else.
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*Minister Valari Knight Logan*
*With a compassionate heart for women and ministry, the Lord continuously
opens avenues for Minister Logan to be able to offer her personal testimony
and demonstrate to others the love which Christ has for us all. Proclaiming
the uncompromised word of God to today’s woman, she flows in the anointing,
teaching Scriptural truths to edify the body and win souls for the kingdom.
An actively involved prayer intercessor, Minister Logan serves as First Lady
and assistant minister at South Tryon Church (Charlotte, NC) and is the
founder of two women’s support ministries, “My Sisters Love” and the Women’s
Prayer Fellowship, a bi-monthly Bible motivational study which explores and
lifts out God’s promises and teachings for women. This past year Mrs. Logan
led this group in a study on the Proverbs 31 Woman and developed a
workbook/devotional to use for the study. She is currently teaching
“Welcoming the Presence of the Holy Spirit” working on a contribution to the
Voices of Orthodox Women supplement to the _Horizons_ Bible Study 1999-2000,
“Old Songs for a New Millennium,” A Study of Psalms and teaching a women’s
study on “The Presence of the Holy Spirit.”
Minister Logan is a radio personality on a local Christian station,
(WordNet) WOGR- 1540 AM and 88.1 FM, as well as business owner and
entrepreneur of KnightMoves (a graphic design and desktop printing firm) and
V Lynn Designs (ladies specialties – lap scarves and finery). She has also
hosted trips for women to take part in Bishop T.D. Jakes Woman Thou Art
Loosed conference events.
Presently in her third year as a Master of Divinity student at
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary – Charlotte campus. She serves as a
member of the Student Council Board, spokesperson for Gordon-Conwell and
provides assistance to new students. Minister Logan is the devoted wife of
almost twenty years to Rev. Dr. James H. Logan, Jr., Senior pastor of the
South Tryon Church, Charlotte, NC. She is the mother of Jaime Lynn, age 18,
Christopher Jordan, age 13, James Henry III, age 7, and a host of spiritual
sons and daughters. Born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey, she is the
daughter of Shirley Knight of Charlotte and the late Richard I. Knight, Jr.