Selah: Pause and Reflect

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during March 2023]

I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd, a host, of golden daffodils.^[1]

These words were written by William Wordsworth in 1802 and have given pleasure to aficionados of English literature for over 200 years. Many generations of school pupils have also become familiar with the words, although probably not voluntarily so. Daffodils are regarded as the national flower of Wales where they figure prominently in the celebration of Saint David’s Day.

The climate of the English Lake District 200 years ago was somewhat different from that which we are experiencing now, and daffodils have become less reliable as a herald of Spring. Nevertheless, when they do start to show their golden blooms we know that warmer times are coming.

The common daffodil is also known as the Lent lily. For those who follow a traditional ecclesiastical calendar, the six weeks prior to Easter are observed as a reminder of the 40 days that Jesus Christ spent alone in the wilderness prior to the start of his earthly ministry. Those 40 days were a time of fasting and prayer, and are reminiscent of similar periods spent by Moses and Elijah in Old Testament times.

Many Christians try to emulate the fasting by ‘giving up’ something that they usually enjoy, and some people outside of any faith recognise the potential benefits of a similar period of lifestyle review. To the dismay of chocolatiers and confectioners, the common perception is that the most likely items to be given up are chocolate and sweets but no doubt this is more than compensated by the subsequent binge on chocolate eggs and bunnies that usually occurs at Easter.

Historically, there was some resistance in the more nonconformist denominations to recognising Lent but recently more people have come to recognise that the underlying principles of Lent can have some value to them. The examples from Moses, Elijah and Jesus show how a period of abstinence and meditation can help us to be ready for the work that God calls us to do. We cannot do the ‘full forty’ without food and water but we can take time each day to “be still and know that I am God” ^[2]

Lent can be an excellent trigger for an improvement in our lifestyles, but it will involve a certain degree of sacrifice. The three principal elements of Lent are fasting, prayer and alms-giving. These can be replicated: by giving up (or reducing) our treats we have more money for tithing, by abstaining from too much tv we can have more time to listen to God, by sharing our talents we can help others in their spiritual walk.

At one point in his life, king David wanted to offer a sacrifice of thanks to God. A wealthy supporter offered to sponsor the materials required but David’s response was one that we would do to emulate:

I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing. 2 Samuel 24 v24

Whether or not we recognise Lent in a formal way, it gives us an opportunity to think about the sacrifice that Jesus has made for us. What is your response?

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Resources:
[1] William Wordsworth, 1770-1850
[2] Psalm 46 v10

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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author