Lent is over and my Lenten calendar is complete. During Holy Week, instead of praying for individuals on the calendar, I prayed the passage: ”For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 KJV) Not only is the whole passage powerful, but each piece of it asked for my attention. Every day I spent time praying a small portion of it. There are so many juicy opportunities for prayer and reflection in the individual phrases and words: God, so loved, world, gave, begotten Son, believeth, everlasting life….
As I look back over the whole calendar, I remember who or what I have prayed for in the past forty days. It’s a piece of my prayer history for over a month. The drawings prompt me to ask questions: Do I need to continue to pray for specific people or needs; do I need to call, text, or e-mail someone; how has God worked in these peoples’ lives, how has God worked in my life during this time?
I probably won’t continue to use a calendar like this on a daily basis. But I do have a big old-fashioned desk calendar right next to my computer. Whenever someone pops into my heart, I can lean over to my calendar, write their name in the allotted space for the day, and spend a few moments of prayer/drawing time with them.
Drawing: Sybil MacBeth
