We have created this Guide to Prayer to help you as you pray through Lent with Scripture, a weekly prayer focus, and ways to take these lessons deeper. We hope you will use this Guide in conjunction with a time of fasting—intentionally skipping a meal (or, if you cannot miss a meal for health reasons, “giving up” part of your regular diet)—and making time to focus on Christ in prayer. We also encourage you to send the money you would have spent on those meals (or on that part of your food budget) to Restore Hope—so that we might share God’s blessings with families in need.
Click here for a PDF version.
We will also post a Fast-a-Meal update each day during Lent on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Week of Ash Wednesday (March 5-8)
-
- Wed: Isaiah 58:1-12
- Thu: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
- Fri: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
- Sat: Psalm 51:1-17
Meditation: Lent is a season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The ashes remind us of our mortality and sinfulness, while the cross reminds us of hope and faith. Isaiah reminds us that true repentance turns us toward freedom, justice, and generosity. Repentance brings us into a right relationship with God as we believe the Good News.
Prayer: God of mercy and grace, stir the dust of our lives and help us remember who we are. And at the end of these 40 days, may we find that we have exchanged our ashes for your beauty, our mourning for your joy, and our despair for your praise. Amen.
First Week in Lent (March 9-15)
-
- Sun: Deut. 26:1-11
- Mon: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
- Tue: Romans 10:8-13
- Wed: 1 John 2:1-6
- Thu: Job 1:1-22
- Fri: Luke 4:1-13
- Sat: Psalm 27
Meditation: God is our refuge and strength. Whether facing trials, temptations, or joys, we are called to trust God’s promises, confess Christ as Lord, and walk in his ways. We find deliverance, provision, and peace in God’s word and grace. His salvation is sure for all who call on him.
Prayer: God of Salvation, it is easy to get caught up in my circumstances and forget your faithfulness and promises. Please help me walk in your way, as I trust you. God, I want to know you and be known by you. Amen.
Second Week in Lent (March 16-22)
-
- Sun: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
- Mon: Psalm 150
- Tue: Philippians 3:17-4:1
- Wed: Luke 13:22-31
- Thu: Luke 13:31-35
- Fri: Daniel 3:19-30
- Sat: Psalm 63:1-8
Meditation: In this week’s readings, we see how God’s covenant promises endure amid trials and allow us to praise the Lord. As citizens of heaven, we can stand firm in Christ. Jesus demonstrates God’s faithfulness as he journeys to Jerusalem. And if we find ourselves in the wilderness or fiery furnace, God is not far. Lent calls us to trust, worship, and follow Christ with unwavering hope.
Prayer: God of Abraham, empower me with your Holy Spirit to live by faith and give you praise no matter my circumstances today. Amen.
Third Week in Lent (March 23-29)
-
- Sun: Luke 13:1-9
- Mon: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
- Tue: Isaiah 55:1-9
- Wed: Romans 2:1-11
- Thu: Romans 2:12-16
- Fri: Exodus 32:7-14
- Sat: Luke 15:1-10
Meditation: Repentance is the theme this week. Even in our trials, God provides a way out. God’s mercy brings us repentance and renewal, and God’s invitation is open to all who seek him. And like the shepherd who rejoices over finding his lost sheep, heaven rejoices when we turn back. Lent reminds us to repent and live in God’s grace.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, pour out God’s love into our hearts. Please help us to change our thinking and turn towards your mercy and grace. Amen.
Fourth Week in Lent (March 30-April 5)
-
- Sun: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
- Mon: 2 Kings 4:1-7
- Tue: Psalm 32
- Wed: 2 Cor. 5:16-21
- Thu: Isaiah 43:1-7
- Fri: Isaiah 43:8-15
- Sat: Joshua 5:9-12
Meditation: God’s love is extravagant, like a father whose lost son has returned home. And when we have a need, God pours out his grace abundantly. In Christ, we are reconciled to God, and forgiveness restores a song of joy to our hearts. And even when we find ourselves living in exile, God makes a way for us to return home through the wilderness. Lent invites us to return, rejoice, and be renewed.
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for an extravagant love that welcomes us home, forgives us, restores us, and fills us with joy. Amen.
Fifth Week in Lent (April 6- 12)
-
- Sun: Luke 18:31-34
- Mon: John 12:1-8
- Tue: Philippians 3:4b-14
- Wed: Hebrews 2:1-9
- Thu: Hebrews 2:10-18
- Fri: Isaiah 43:16-21
- Sat: Psalm 31:9-16
Meditation: This week’s passages highlight Jesus’ journey to the cross, his sacrificial love, and the call to follow him with humility and faith. Paul urges us to unite ourselves to Christ’s sufferings as we consider all things loss for the sake of knowing Christ. Hebrews remind us that we have a High Priest who shares in our suffering. And in the psalmist’s cry, we are reminded to trust God amid trials, surrendering to his will.
Prayer: God, bind our hearts to yours. Let us know your unfailing love, and help our lives reflect that love through all we say and do. Amen.
Holy Week (April 13-20)
-
- Sun: Luke 19:28-40
- Mon: John 12:1-11
- Tue: John 12:20-36
- Wed: Psalm 70
- Thu: John 13:1-17, 31-35
- Fri: Luke 23:26-49
- Sat: Isaiah 52:13-53:12
- Sun: John 20:1-18
Meditation: Jesus went from triumph to suffering, from the Prince of Peace to a hated criminal, from “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him.” Even amid chaos, we find the hope of resurrection in a seemingly hopeless world.
Prayer: Gracious God, teach us to wait on you and your goodness. We set aside our worries and distractions to focus entirely on you. Thank you for enduring the cross for us and for the hope of the resurrection! Amen.