...remain in his Word and return to the Lord...

Friday of the Third Week of Lent

2 Take words with you and return to the Lord; say to Him,     “Take away all guilt; accept that which is good, and we will offer      the fruit of our lips. 

3 Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses; we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands.

In you the orphan finds mercy.”

4 I will heal their disloyalty; I will love them freely,

for my anger has turned from them. 

5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily;     He shall strike root like the forests of Lebanon. 

6 His shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive tree     and His fragrance like that of Lebanon.

7 They shall again live beneath my shadow; they shall flourish as a garden; they shall blossom like the vine;     their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

I love the command in verse 2, “Take God’s Word with you and return to the Lord.” That is the best advice for these days of Lent. These 40 days are an invitation to do just that: “Take God’s Word with you and return to the Lord.”

So the less I say today, the better. Let us join together in the Word of God, and return to Him.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.