Devotions for Lent 2026
All of the scriptures included in this devotional guide pertain to the subject of following. Almost all of them will be part of our Sunday worship services during the season of Lent. Please take time to read these passages, consider the questions which are asked here, and spend time in prayer. Thank you and God bless you.
- February 18 ASH WEDNESDAY Read 1 Kings 18:20 and 21.
Are you limping along with two different opinions or two different loyalties? Are you trying to follow both the Lord and someone else at the same time? If so, how is that working for you?
Pray that you will be completely loyal to God and not allow any other loyalties to interfere with your devotion to Him.
- February 19 Read 1 Kings 18:20 and 21 again today.
The heathen god Baal was a fertility god. Fertility has to do with sex and reproduction. People who worshiped Baal were hoping for many children, calves, or lambs, or for abundant yields from their fields. Success in agricultural meant wealth.
Do you have a preoccupation with worldly success? Is this keeping you from following Jesus as you know that He wants you to follow?
Pray that God will help you to trust Him to provide for you, and that you will be enabled to follow Jesus wherever He calls you to go.
- February 20 Read 2 Timothy 1:8-14.
Are you willing to “share in suffering for the gospel in the power of God”? Does fear of pain or fear of hardship prevent you from following Jesus where He calls you to go?
Pray for courage. Pray that God will not allow you to turn down Christ’s calling on your life out of fear of pain or fear of hardship.
- February 21 Reread 2 Timothy 1:11-14.
Are you following the pattern of the sound words of Paul and the other biblical writers, all of whom were inspired by the Holy Spirit? Are you reading these words with faith and love in your heart? Can others see in your life a pattern which reflects the sound words of the scriptures?
Pray that God will help you to follow the pattern of the sound words of the Holy Scriptures. Pray that others will be able to see in your life that you are living by these words.
- February 22 THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT Read 2 Timothy 1:11-14 once again.
Are you guarding “the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit”? Do you study the scriptures for yourself on a regular basis? Do you check carefully against the bible things which other people share with you? Do you gently but firmly correct others whose understanding is clearly inconsistent with biblical teaching?
The early Methodists were sometimes called “bible moths” by those who made fun of them. Pray that God will help you to commit to studying the scriptures for yourselves, that you will learn the truth, that you will live by the truth, and that you will be enabled to share the truth with others.
- February 23 Read Matthew 4:12-20.
Jesus preached repentance. To repent is to turn from sin and turn to Jesus. Some of us can remember one particular abrupt turn in our lives. Yet, we probably all need additional course corrections. During this season of Lent, ask God to show you sins from which you need to turn. Take seriously what He shows you. Repent, trust God to forgive you, and trust Him enough to live in the way that He shows you.
In your prayer today, confess one or more sins to God. Ask for forgiveness. Ask God to help you to be more faithful in the days to come.
- February 24 Re-read Matthew 4:18-20.
Jesus called Simon and Andrew to follow Him, and He said that He would make them “fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. What would you have to leave behind in order to follow Jesus and do what He is calling you to do?
Ask God to give you the courage to leave behind anything which is holding you back.
- February 25 Re-read Matthew 4:18-20.
Simon and Andrew had not been to college or seminary, and yet Jesus called them to become “fishers of men,” and invite others to become followers of Jesus. For all of us, following Jesus requires inviting others to follow Him as well.
Pray that God will give you opportunities, not just to invite others to attend church, but also to invite others to trust in Jesus to save them from their sins and to enable them to live for Him.
- February 26 Read Matthew 4:21 and 22.
This passage shows us that following Jesus may very well require us to leave behind more than just material things. If we are going to make disciples of all nations, or even just our neighbors, we may have to spend less time with family members and with long-time friends. If your family and friends are Christians, make it your aim to make friends with someone who does not know Jesus as his or her Savior.
Pray that God will enable you to see beyond your usual circle of friends, and that He will enable you to introduce someone to Jesus.
- February 27 Read 1 Kings 19:19-21.
We have already seen that when Jesus called them to follow Him, Simon, Andrew, James, and John all had something to leave behind in order to follow. Here we find that when Elijah called Elisha to follow him, Elisha had something to leave behind. What the fishermen gave up was not anything evil, but they still had to give it up in order to follow Jesus. What Elisha gave up was not evil, either, but he had to give it up to follow Elijah. Give some more thought to what God may be calling you to leave behind.
Pray that God will reveal anything that is standing in your way of being fully obedient to Him.
- February 28 Read 1 Kings 19:19-21 again today.
Notice that when Elijah called Elisha to follow him, Elisha didn’t just leave behind his yoke of oxen. He burned the yoke and cooked the oxen. Is there something which is such an impediment to you that you need to take a particularly dramatic action to put it behind you?
Ask God to help you to take a forceful step to set aside anything that is standing in your way of being fully obedient to Him.
- March 1 THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT Read 2 John 1:1-4.
In this passage, John is probably using the term children to mean those who are new to the faith. Whether he means actual children, or children in the faith, or both, he expresses great joy in knowing that they are “following the truth.” If we are going to follow Jesus, we will have to follow the truth. We can not claim to be following Jesus while at the same time making up our own truth to suit us. Do you regard scripture as truth? Do you spend enough time with the scripture to know the truth and to incorporate it into your life?
Pray that God will help you to find time to spend with the word, not just during this Lenten season, but every day of your life. Pray also that God will help you to understand the scriptures and to apply them to your life.
- March 2 Read 2 John 1:5 and 6.
We often hear about following commandments. It is not so common to hear about following love. We certainly need to follow commandments. We also need to remember how basic love is to the commandments. All of the commandments, rightly understood, are about love. Can you see how each of the ten commandments is a commandment to love?
Pray that God will help you to see how all of His commandments are commandments to love. Pray that He will help you to use His commandments to guide your life. Pray also that He will help you to keep the centrality of love in mind when you are tempted to judge others according to His commandments.
- March 3 Read Matthew 8:18-20.
If we are following a Leader who has nowhere to lay His head, can we expect to always dwell secure in a place of our choice?
Pray that God will help you to be ready to go anywhere, any time, to follow Jesus.
- March 4 Read Matthew 8:21 and 22.
Many people find the words of Jesus in verse 22 more troubling than any of the other passages which we have examined so far in this Lenten season. Jesus sounds very harsh here. It sounds as if Jesus is telling a son whose father has just died that he must leave now to follow Him, and that arranging for the burial of his father must not delay his following Jesus. It could be that Jesus was indeed saying something which sounds this radical.
William Barclay, the popular Scottish bible teacher of the twentieth century, suggests that it is more likely that this disciple’s father had not yet died, and that his death was not imminent, but that the disciple wanted to stay with his father for how ever many years his father lived, and go with Jesus only after his father died.
Legendary Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi said, “There are three things that are important to every man in this locker room: his God, his family, and the Green Bay Packers. In that order”. If we agree with Coach Lombardi that God comes first, then shouldn’t we be willing to go with Jesus where He tells us to go and when He tells us to go? Are you willing to truly put God first in your life?
Pray that God will help you to be a blessing to your family. Pray also that God will help you to keep from placing your family higher on your priority list than following Jesus.
- March 5 Read Matthew 8:23-25.
The disciples followed Jesus onto the boat, but when a storm arose, they were afraid. They cried out to Jesus to save them. Sometimes those who have the confidence to start out following Jesus lose their nerve. Has this ever happened to you? Pray that God will keep your faith strong when the going gets tough.
- March 6 Read 2 Kings 18:1-6.
This passage tells us that Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. When you have a decision to make, do you ask yourself what would be right in the eyes of the Lord? If not, ask God to help you to always ask this question and to never disregard what the Bible or the Holy Spirit tells you is God’s will.
- March 7 Read 2 Kings 18:1-6 again.
Verse 5 says that King Hezekiah did not depart from following the Lord, but that he “kept the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses.” As we have said before, following the Lord involves following the commandments of God. Which commandments do you find it most challenging to follow? Ask God specifically to help you to follow these commandments.
- March 8 THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT Read 3 John 1:1-6.
John says, “No greater joy can I have than this, to hear that my children follow the truth.” Do you know the truth of God? Do you follow the truth? Pray that God will help you to follow His truth always.
- March 9 Read Matthew 9:9.
Tax collectors have never been popular. In Judea in the first century they were especially hated. The more taxes they collected, the more money they were able to keep for themselves. Besides that, the money which the tax collectors did not keep for themselves went to the hated Romans who occupied the historic homeland of the Jewish people. Matthew was one of these despised tax collectors, and this did not keep Jesus from calling Matthew to follow Him. Nor did it keep Matthew from accepting the Lord’s calling to follow Him. Are there people whom you have not approached to share the good news of Jesus because you think that they are not good enough? Do you believe that everyone needs Jesus?
Pray that God will help you to see others as He sees them. Ask Him to help you to share God’s love and the good news of Jesus with all sorts of people.
- March 10 Read 2 Chronicles 34:29-33.
This passage tells us that King Josiah “took away all the abominations from all the territory that belonged to the people of Israel . . . .” Leaders can make a real difference in the lives of people. None of us are likely to become kings, but we might have leadership opportunities in local government, in community organizations, in youth organizations, in our church, or in ministries of our church. Do you have any such leadership position? Would you be willing to accept any such leadership position? If you have any of these kinds of leadership, pray for God’s guidance. Whether you have any of these kinds of leadership or not, pray for Christians you know who have such positions.
- March 11 Read Mattthew 10:34-39.
Many people find this passage disturbing. Doesn’t Jesus value family? He does indeed value family, but He does not want us to allow family to prevent us from following Him. Have you ever had to choose between your Lord and your family? Pray that you will always choose Jesus.
- March 12 Read Matthew 10:34-39 again.
What does it mean to take up your cross? The cross is not just a burden. It is an instrument of death. To follow Jesus requires us to be willing to sacrifice everything. Are you willing to sacrifice everything for Jesus? If not, pray for the faith which would allow you to sacrifice anything or everything for the sake of Jesus.
- March 13 Read Matthew 16:21-27.
When we are faced with the question of whether we are able to sacrifice all things for the sake of Jesus, it is helpful for us to remind ourselves of the sacrifice of Jesus Himself. Take time to think about the way that Jesus suffered on the cross. Knowing what He suffered for your sake, what are you willing to suffer for His sake? Pray that God will help you to follow Him when it means that you will suffer ridicule, rejection, or even pain.
- March 14 Read Isaiah 59:1-14.
The prophet tells us that our iniquities have made a separation between us and our God. Jesus lived among us and died among us to make it possible for us to be reconciled to our God, but Jesus does not force Himself upon us. Do you acknowledge that your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God? Do you accept what Jesus did to make it possible for you to be restored to God? Acknowledge your sins to God. Ask for forgiveness. Accept what Jesus has done for you. Thank Him and praise Him.
- March 15 THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT Read Isaiah 59:9-14, then reread verses 12 and 13.
“Our sins testify against us, for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities . . . .” We know that we are sinful and that we fall short of God’s glory, because the Bible tell us that everyone falls short of God’s glory. Many of us do not take much time to confess our particular sins to God, however. Do you know your iniquities? Have you confessed them to God? Have you asked for forgiveness for your particular sins?
Take time to name some of your sins in your prayer. Ask God to forgive those particular sins, and to forgive all your sins.
- March 16 Read Isaiah 59:9-14 again, then reread verses 12 and 13 again.
Is it enough to confess all our sins all at one time? Didn’t Jesus die for our sins once and for all? This passage makes it clear that when we commit sins we are not following our God. If we are still sinning, we still need to confess our sins, to ask for forgiveness, and to ask God to help us to be more holy.
Confess your sins today. If you can’t think of any sins that you have committed since yesterday, you may not be thinking hard enough. Ask God to forgive you, and ask Him to help you to be more holy.
- March 17 PATRICK’S DAY Read Matthew 19:16-22.
Even if we have not broken any of the Ten Commandments, and even if we have never done anything which would shock the neighbors, we still might not be walking with the Lord. It would be foolish and dangerous to think that we are good enough to be able to count on having eternal life. Sometimes it is a lot harder for people who have lived respectable lives to see their need for grace than it is for those who realize that they have been wicked.
We have been talking a lot about confessing our sin. We have had a lot to say about this because the bible has a lot to say about it, and because it is so important for us to understand. Don’t count on the good that you have done to save you, and don’t think that one more good deed will do it, either. We are saved only by repenting of our sin and accepting God’s grace. Again today, confess your sins. Ask God to forgive you, and ask Him to help you to be more holy.
- March 18 Read Matthew 19:16-22 again.
Can we follow Jesus if we try to lug all our money and all our possessions along with us? I don’t think so. Jesus tells this man, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Perhaps you are not concerned about being perfect. Most people aren’t concerned about it. Most professing Christians aren’t concerned about being perfect. This is sad. Why wouldn’t we want to offer the best that we can for the One who gave His all for us?
Consider whether you might be keeping more of the Lord’s money for yourself than you really need to have. Consider whether your preoccupation with material things is preventing you from following Jesus. Ask God to guide you in these matters.
- March 19 Read Zephaniah 1:1-9.
God tells the people, through the prophet Zephaniah, that He will cut off those who have turned back from following the Lord, those who no longer seek the Lord or inquire of Him. How often do you inquire of the Lord? How often do you seek His guidance? How often do you keep silence before the Lord, waiting for an answer? How often do you assume that you already know what to do and how to do it? If we are going to follow Him, we are going to have to get directions from Him.
- March 20 Read 1 Peter 2:18-25.
Think about the ways in which Jesus suffered for you and me. Thank God for sending Jesus.
- March 21 Read 1 Peter 2:18-25 again today.
We need to remember that Christ suffered for our sins. We also need to remember that the way He endured pain and injustice is an example for us. Consider His example. Identify ways in which you could better follow His example and ask God to help you to do so.
- March 22 THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT Read 1 Samuel 12:6-22.
Samuel knew that it was not God’s will for Israel to have a human king, but the people insisted on having a king. God finally gave in and told Samuel to anoint a king. The people later regretted what they had done.
We all make mistakes. We all have reason to repent. We will all suffer the consequences of many of our mistakes. Yet, God will not give up on us if we do not give up on Him. We need to hear what Samuel said to the people of Israel: “Fear not; you have done all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart; and do not turn aside after vain things which cannot profit or save, for they are vain.”
Confess your sins, pray for forgiveness, and ask for the strength to serve the Lord always.
- March 23 Read Matthew 26:31-35.
In this chapter, the disciples show us that they have too much faith in themselves and too little faith in Jesus. They are sure that they will not fall away, but Jesus knows that they will. Do you have too much faith in yourself? Do you have too little faith in Jesus? In your prayer today, admit your shortcomings and your struggles to God, and ask Him to strengthen your faith in Jesus.
- March 24 Read Matthew 26:36-39.
Notice that Jesus honestly expresses to His Father what His desire is, but that He also says, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” This is a model for us. Our loving Father will not punish us for being honest with Him, but once we have expressed our personal preferences, He wants us to trust Him and to submit to Him. Are you willing and able to do this? In today’s prayer, be honest with God about your fears and your desires, but then pray that He will show you His will and that He will help you to submit to His will.
- March 25 Read Matthew 26:36-58.
Three of the disciples went with Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus asked them to watch with Him as He prayed. The disciples fell asleep, not once, not twice, but three times. They were present physically, but they were not truly present at this time in the earthly life of Jesus and in the unfolding of the Father’s plan of salvation for all mankind. Are we awake when we need to be awake? Are we alert when we need to be alert? Are we fully present when we need to be fully present?
Ask God to forgive you for the times when you have not been fully present to receive a blessing or to share a blessing. Ask God to help you to be attuned to what He is doing in the world, and ask Him to make you a blessing to others.
- March 26 Read Matthew 26:47-58.
Did Judas betray Jesus for the money? It appears that way. If he did indeed betray Jesus for money, he is not the only one. Some well-known TV preachers have done the same. So have a lot of other folks whose names we would not recognize.
Have you ever let money, or your concern about money, prevent you from following Jesus? Many have. It is perfectly reasonable to ask God to provide for your true physical needs and for those of your family. It is a mistake, however, to allow the lure of riches to interfere with God’s calling on your life.
Pray today for your legitimate needs, and pray that God will help you to be content when those basic needs are met. Pray that God would give you the strength to resist temptation whenever the lure of money presents you with any temptation which would interfere with your calling.
- March 27 Read Matthew 26:47-58 again today.
Many serious students of the Bible think that Judas may have had some other motive than the one which we discussed yesterday. Some believe that Judas was trying to force Jesus to use His power and show the world Who He was. If we thought that this was the motive of Judas, rather than greed, we might have more sympathy for him. Yet, even if Judas had good intentions, he was wrong to try to force Jesus to do anything. He would have been wrong to think that he knew better than Jesus did. We also would be wrong to think that we knew better than Jesus does. We would be wrong to think that we could ignore something that Jesus says or does because it doesn’t seem right to us.
Have you ever thought that you knew better than Jesus does? Pray that God will help you to overcome any doubt that you may ever have about the words or the actions of Jesus. Pray that God will help you to make Jesus your example in all things.
- March 28 Read Matthew 26:51-58.
One of the disciples tried to protect Jesus by attacking a slave of the high priest with a sword. Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” He went on to say, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and He will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” This disciple, who thought that he was protecting Jesus, was actually interfering with God’s plan for the salvation of the world. Let’s not act without thinking, let’s not be quick to turn to violence, and let’s not make quick assumptions about God’s will. Instead, let’s seek guidance in bible study and in prayer.
- March 29 PALM SUNDAY / PASSION SUNDAY Read Matthew 21:1-11.
Jesus is King. He is the King of the Jews. He is our King. He is the King of Kings. Yet He comes into Jerusalem humbly, riding not on a war horse but on a donkey. How is this an example for you? Identify some ways in which you could be more like Jesus and ask God to help you to be more like Jesus in these ways.
- March 30 MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK Read Matthew 26:55-58.
Matthew says that “all the disciples forsook Him and fled.” Have you ever forsaken Jesus? If you have, you are in good company. It is a terrible thing to forsake Jesus and flee, but it happens often. If you have forsaken Him, ask for forgiveness, and ask for strength. If you have not forsaken Him, pray that you never will.
- March 31 TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK Read Matthew 26:55-58.
Matthew tells us that “all the disciples forsook Him and fled.” It turns out that there was one disciple who “followed Him at a distance,” however. Peter was afraid. He did run away, but he didn’t run very far. He kept his eyes on Jesus. Pray that you will always know to keep your eyes on Jesus and that you will always have the strength to do so.
- April 1 WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK Read Matthew 26:57-75.
Peter did indeed keep his eyes on Jesus, but he also denied Jesus. Three times, he denied that he even knew Jesus. Have you ever denied Jesus? Have you behaved in a worldly way to try to avoid being thought of as a Christ-follower? Many have. I have seen this behavior on the part of seminary students and pastors sometimes. Pray that God will help you to deny yourself and that He will help you to never deny Jesus.
- April 2 MAUNDY THURSDAY Read Matthew 26:26-35.
If it is possible for you, join us this evening for our Maundy Thursday service.
Jesus had told the disciples that they would all fall away. Peter declared that he would not fall away. Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him. Peter didn’t believe it. Jesus was right, however, wasn’t He? We may think that we would never forsake Jesus, but we don’t know for sure what we would do in every circumstance. Pray for the strength to always stand up for Jesus.
- April 3 GOOD FRIDAY Read Exodus 23:1 and 2.
The gospels tell us that the crowd demanded that Jesus be crucified. A mob can be a very ugly thing. People who would not, on their own, do such wicked things, will do them when others are doing them. If we are going to follow Jesus, we must not follow the crowd. If you have an extra minute, read Romans 1 and 2.
Pray today that God will always give you the strength and the wisdom to stand up for what is right when the crowd is doing the wrong thing.
- April 4 HOLY SATURDAY Read Matthew 27:45-56.
After telling us about the death of Jesus, Matthew tells us that there were “many women there, looking on from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him.” If they had followed Him from Galilee, they would have come about a hundred miles, probably on foot. When others forsook Jesus, these women did not. Pray that you will be like these women