Lent is perhaps the most important period in the Roman Catholic liturgy. This period runs from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday, and as its name indicates, it lasts forty days.
It is expected that during this time the good Christian genuinely repents of his sins and that he can change from the depths of his interior, in order to be a better person and to be able to live closer to Jesus Christ, praying and doing works of good and charity. It is considered a time of mourning and penance (embodied in the color purple), also of reflection, and, above all, of dedication towards a spiritual change and fraternal reconciliation.
Lent lasts forty days because the number forty has a special symbolism in the Bible: there were forty days of the Universal Deluge, forty years during which the Hebrew people wandered through the desert to leave Egypt, which lasted 40 years, and forty days that Jesus was in the desert before beginning his teachings.
It is said to be a time of fasting and abstinence. However, as we read in a passage from the book of Isaiah, “fasting pleasing to God consists in sharing bread with the hungry, letting the poor homeless into the house, clothing those who see themselves naked, and not turning their heads.” back to others”.
Here are 18 Prayers for Lent to Seek God’s Grace and Mercy and to Remain focus
Lent opening prayer
Lord Jesus, as we begin the season of Lent, prepare my heart in the same way that you prepared yourself to be crucified on the cross. During these next few weeks, help me to remember your great life and sacrifice, which made my relationship with you possible today. Let me intentionally give up something to practice fasting and abstinence and refocus my life on You. I love you Jesus. I’m sorry I forgot to put you first so many times. Amen.
Lent Prayer for Strength and Guidance
Lord God Almighty, shaper and ruler of all creatures, we pray for your great mercy, that you guide us towards you, for we cannot find our way.
And guide us to your will, to the need of our soul, for we cannot do it ourselves. And make our mind steadfast in your will and aware of our soul’s need.
Strengthen us against the temptations of the devil, and remove from us all lust and every unrighteousness, and shield us against our foes, seen and unseen.
Teach us to do your will, that we may inwardly love you before all things with a pure mind. For you are our maker and our redeemer, our help, our comfort, our trust, our hope; praise and glory be to you now and forever. Amen.
Prayer of overcoming and remembrance.
Almighty God, when I am tempted to give up my fast, remind me of all the struggles you overcame while on earth. You survived forty days in the desert with Satan, you were deceived by the Pharisees and you were crucified on a cross and abandoned by Your disciples. Jesus, if You can defeat death. I can overcome it. Help me to remember why I fast in the first place and make this time refreshing for my soul. In you, God, everything becomes new. In you everything is possible. Amen.
Protect from Any Temptation
O Christ, Son of God, for our sake you fasted forty days and allowed yourself to be tempted. Protect us so that we may not be led astray by any temptation. Since man does not live by bread alone, nourish our souls with the heavenly food of your Word; through your mercy, O our God, you are blessed and live and govern all things, now and forever. Amen.
Lent Prayer for Strength and Protection
Lord God, heavenly Father, you know that we are set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright: Grant us such strength and protection, to support us in all danger, and carry us through all temptations; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lent Prayer for God to bring beauty from ashes:
Dear God,
In this season of Lent, we’re reminded of our own difficulties and struggles. Sometimes the way has seemed too dark. Sometimes we feel like our lives have been marked by such grief and pain, we don’t see how our circumstances can ever change. But in the midst of our weakness, we ask that you would be strong on our behalf. Lord, rise up within us, let your Spirit shine out of every broken place we’ve walked through. Allow your power to be manifest through our own weakness, so that others will recognize it is You who is at work on our behalf. We ask that you would trade the ashes of our lives for the beauty of your Presence. Trade our mourning and grief for the oil of joy and gladness from your Spirit. Trade our despair for hope and praise. We choose to give you thanks today and believe that this season of darkness will fade away. Thank you that you are with us in whatever we face and that you are greater than this trial. We know and recognize that you are Sovereign, we thank you for the victory that is ours because of Christ Jesus, and we are confident that you have good still in store for our future. We thank you that you are at work right now, trading our ashes for greater beauty. We praise you, for you make all things new. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Learn to trust yourself Prayer
Jesus, my Savior, I struggle to know what to do with my time during Lent. As I participate in fasting from something in my life, I find myself filling that time with other bad habits instead of using that absence to focus on You and remember You. God, I don’t really know how to be alone with you. May these next few weeks be a time of learning and waiting on You. Please help me to form good habits that allow me to glorify you. Amen.
Lead Us to Love You Sincerely
O Lord Jesus Christ, by your almighty power you opened the eyes of the blind and showed yourself to them. Turn our eyes away from worthless things, and lead us to love you sincerely; through your mercy,
O our God, you are blessed, and live and govern all things, now and forever. Amen.
Lent Prayer for a Clean Heart
Create a clean heart in me, O God: a humble heart, a meek heart, a peaceful heart, a benevolent heart, a devout heart which does evil to no one, which does not repay evil for evil, but overcomes evil with good, which loves you above all things, thinks always about you, speaks about you, gives you thanks, delights in hymns and spiritual songs, and has its citizenship in heaven. Amen.
Lent Prayer to focus my eyes
Precious Holy Spirit, help me to focus my eyes on You. Stop the thoughts from my mind and allow me to fix my eyes on You. God, I know I don’t deserve you and I don’t deserve your sacrifice, but I thank you so much that you are a merciful God. During this season of Lent, help me to focus on your glory, your name, your love, and your sacrifice. Help me create godly habits that I can maintain for the rest of the year. Amen.
lent surrender prayer
I come to You, Jesus, in surrender and confession. Although I wish I could say I always do, this Lenten season reminds me of my sins and of Your mercy. Forgive me, God, for not putting you first, over and over again. Let me start again. God, your patience and compassion amaze me. Thank you for forgiving me, even though we both know I will make mistakes and have to repent again before this day is over. Without Your mercy, I would have no hope. Thank you Jesus. Amen.
Defend Us from All Enemies
O Lord, mercifully hear our prayer and stretch forth the right hand of your majesty to defend us from all enemies that rise up against us; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
CHECKOUT:
40 Effective fasting scriptures for breakthroughs
did Jesus die on Good Friday? Was He resurrected on Easter Sunday?
Why is the Blood of the Covenant Important?
Lent Prayer for Strength
O God, you see that we have no strength in ourselves. Keep us both outwardly and inwardly. Defend us from all adversities which hurt the body, and cleanse us from all evil thoughts which afflict the mind; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Lent Prayer for Defense
Almighty God, look on the humble desires of your servants. Stretch forth the right hand of your majesty and be our sure defense; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Prayer to overcome distraction
Only Lord, I come to You distracted and without any motivation. I know that this season of Lent is supposed to be a time of fasting and preparing my heart for Easter, but today I feel ill-equipped for neither. I am exhausted and the last thing I want to do is come to You in prayer. But, Jesus, here I am with my weakness and my distractions. Be my motivation and my rest. Help me prepare my heart because I can’t do anything alone. I love you, God. Forgive me for my moments of disbelief. Amen.
Lent prayer for a New Habits
Heavenly Father, this season of Lent has created a new spirit in me, and I feel renewed in Your love and compassion. God, with Easter just around the corner, I pray that you help me maintain the dedication I have and the newness I feel long after the Lenten season is over. God, I don’t want these new habits to be just for a while, but I want this closeness I feel towards You to be for life. Help me, God, for I know I am weak beyond measure. Amen.
prayer of gratitude
Lord Jesus, I thank you. Thank you for the sacrifices you made on the cross. Thank you for dying for my sins and those of all those who came before me and those who will come after. God, thank you for coming into the world as a human being to live a perfect life so that we could have eternal life. Your sacrifices are incomprehensible. Your works are miraculous. God, help me to remember these things as we come to the end of Lent and to meditate on your true goodness. I love you and I am eternally grateful. Amen.
Lent Prayer for the Comfort of God’s Grace
Almighty God, grant that we who deserve to be afflicted for our evil deeds may mercifully be relieved by the comfort of your grace; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Conclusion:
Lent is a time to let go of bad habits, which may be easier said than done, but we can look to the Lord to help us persevere with these18 Prayers for Lent.