“For He says, ‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you. See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation’” (2 Cor 6:2)! I feel the deep truth of this, that the time is now. I am weary, ready to rid myself of the empty and useless things that gain me nothing. I am filled yet not satisfied, restless and still wanting. I am ready to find another way.
“But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me” (Ps 69:13). I turn my sights now, only to God. I implore His help. Without Him, I can do nothing. In prayer, I open myself to the mind of Jesus. He reminds me in whose image I was created.
“For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice” (Ps 95:7)! But I don’t resemble Him. The ashes I wore on Wednesday remind me how tarnished His image in me has become. He has called but I have not answered.
“Thus says the Lord: In a time of favor I answer you, on a day of salvation I help you” (Is 49:8). But now is the acceptable time, now is the time to return. I am parched and dry, thirsty for what only He can give. On Wednesday, I declared a fast, marked it with ashes, began another way.
The remedy is clear: Pray, Fast, Give. Jesus, help me to begin again. To take on things that bring me closer to You.