In the historic church calendar, Lent has been observed as a season of spiritual renewal in anticipation of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It is a time of increased prayer, fasting, and abstaining from spiritual distractions. The forty days of Lent (not including Sundays) look back to Jesus’ forty days of fasting in the wilderness.
This year, Lent is Wednesday, February 18, 2026 – Thursday, April 2, 2026 (Easter Sunday).
The Bible does not command Lent observance. Lent is optional. But Lent is also an opportunity to draw closer to God through cutting out distractions and seeking Him with more focus.
Aaron Damiani, in The Good of Giving Up: Discovering the Freedom of Lent, writes about his own skepticism about practicing Lent, having not grown up in a tradition that observed it. I recommend this book if you want to learn more about observing Lent and gather ideas for how to observe as a family.
When I was finally ready to take the plunge, I learned that observing Lent is not a forced march of works-righteousness. But it was good medicine for my autonomy, self-indulgence, spiritual independence, and the painful split between what I knew about God and what I experienced of him. – Damiani, The Good of Giving Up, p 15.
My heart in encouraging you to observe Lent is to help you experience greater freedom from the domination of technological distraction, entertainment, and the desires of the flesh, and a deeper affection and commitment to our Savior.
TWO WAYS TO OBSERVE LENT
1. Communion with God through Scripture, Prayer, and Meditation
Scripture, prayer, and meditation are the three main spiritual disciplines that form us into the character of Christ.
Scripture is how we hear from God.
Prayer is how we respond to God.
Meditation is how we reflect on God.
The KCC pastors have already been encouraging our church to do a “Whole-Bible-in-Two-Years” Bible reading plan. If you’re already doing that, keep it up. If you’re looking for a way to start reading scripture, join in with the current date. One thing we love about this Bible reading plan is that reading roughly two chapters a day gives ample time for meditating and praying about what you are reading.
Lent is a wonderful time of year to grow in your prayer life. If you would like to read a book to encourage you in your prayer life, I will recommend a few. There are so many great books on prayer, and I am limiting myself to two recommendations (it’s hard for me).
A Praying Life, by Paul Miller is one of my favorite books on prayer. It is a great help in fighting the cynicism that can build up in our hearts regarding prayer. This book is also very practical in that it gives a method of prayer cards I’ve found useful.
You Can Pray, by Tim Chester is another encouraging book to grow you in your commitment to prayer. I have heard a few people say, “This is the best book on prayer I have read.”
2. Be Intentional with Your Habits
Lent is a great time of year to make sacrifices in your calendar to make extra time for prayer. We are whole persons, with our bodies, spirits, and emotions all intertwined in a complex union. How we treat our bodies can affect our spiritual and emotional health in surprising and subtle ways. Sacrificially changing our schedule, fasting from a meal or abstaining from worldly comforts can all be effective ways to focus our minds on the Lord and prayer. Through Lent we are retraining our minds to detach from the world and learn to say “no” to our flesh so we can hear from God and say “yes” to the Holy Spirit.
Consider practicing these habits during Lent:
- Take Tuesdays or Fridays as days of fasting and replace that time with prayer and scripture. (Either fast for breakfast, lunch and dinner, or just breakfast and lunch.)
- Abstain from sweets, desserts, and alcohol.
- Only use mobile devices for essential communications and abstain from social media.
- Make a financial sacrifice and instead give generously to those less fortunate. Consider the Africa Church Planting Initiative, or Voice of the Martyrs.