Wednesday, February 18th | Daily Devotion

“Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning…” –Joel 2:12-18

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Good morning, good morning. Grace and peace be unto all of you, my Father’s children. It is an incredible Wednesday morning, and I’m excited as we kick off our Lenten season on this Ash Wednesday, 2026.

We’ve been preparing for this season of Lent as a period of sacrifice—a time to allow ourselves to be consecrated over the next forty days or so. It is a sacred space as we move toward Good Friday, expecting God to do new and transformative things in this season. But not only are we expecting God to move in fresh ways—we are also expecting God to stretch us. To stretch us in our faith, our fervor, and our dedication.

Knowing that on the other side of this fast, on the other side of this experience, you should have drawn closer to the presence of God and received clear marching orders for how to move forward by faith and by grace.

On this Ash Wednesday, I want to open with a passage of Scripture from the book of Joel, the second chapter. I will read verses 12 through 18:

“Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that nurse at the breast. Let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, ‘Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?’”

Joel provides powerful instruction to the children of Israel at a time when they had drifted and fallen into patterns that were not aligned with God’s will. He gives them clear direction on how to repent.

This speaks to us as well. We can look at our own lives and recognize the places where God is calling us back to Him. That is what this Lenten season is about—a call back.

Some might say, “I’m not far from Him.” But this walk requires consistency. There are always areas where we have fallen short, and places in our lives that God desires to inhabit but that we have given over to other things. That is why He calls us to repent.

Ash Wednesday, and the placing of ashes on the forehead, symbolizes recognition—acknowledging where we’ve been wrong and turning from those ways, with the commitment to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday.

Notice how Joel says, “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly.” While fasting is often a personal experience, the initiation of the fast is corporate. There is power in the community coming together.

As a church, we are entering this corporate fast with personal and intentional goals for our individual walks. The corporate nature of it allows us to lean on one another during this time. There is strength in knowing we are not fasting alone.

We have provided guidelines for this Lenten fast, which you can find on our website and Facebook page. These are simply guidelines.

And let me say this clearly: Do what you can. Do what you can. There may be portions of the fast that you are unable to fully participate in due to work schedules or health concerns. Get as close as you can. The heart of this season is sacrifice and consecration.

Let the fast begin.

I cannot wait to see what God is preparing to do in this season.

God bless you. Have an incredible Wednesday. See you soon.