Choose a Scripture Theme for Lent

Margaret Rash discusses choosing a Scripture verse as your personal theme to follow for your Lenten observances. 

Something I've seen more and more often is the idea of choosing a word or phrase or Scripture verse as a point of focus for the New Year. You may do this practice yourself; in January, you commit to using a particular word or phrase as a focal point for your decision-making and attitude in the upcoming year.  

I've decided to use this same strategy for my private Lenten observances of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. 

Giving Up Something for Lent 

Each year, I try to give up something for Lent as a personal sacrifice and I always seem to land on the same few things. One year I might give up chocolate or coffee or fried food.   

The list goes on, but every year what I choose to give up or what I choose to add to my prayer routine always seems to be the same handful of things without too much thought about it and maybe not enough consultation with God about what He wants me to do.  

Of course we have our required observances: fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays in Lent, but I'm talking about our personal, private observances that we choose. 

Choosing a Theme from Scripture  

I decided it would be helpful this year to try to wrap my personal sacrifices, my private prayer, fasting and almsgiving during Lent, together with a theme from Scripture as my focal point. In this way, instead of just choosing one or two things I want to work on, I'm asking the Holy Spirit what verse from the Word of God He wants me to try to live out this Lent.  

After prayer, the verse that I'm focusing on for myself this year is Luke 6:30.  

“Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.” (Luke 6:30) 

Using your verse as a focal point 

Now, moving forward through Lent with this verse in mind, my plan is to write it down and keep it somewhere I will see it routinely as a reminder. Then I will ask the Holy Spirit each day and each time I see it, to show me how He wants me to live this verse out that day.   

For almsgiving, this might mean donating or volunteering with a particular charity that crosses my path that I might otherwise have not noticed.  

For fasting, this might end up meaning that I need to fast from doing an activity that I enjoy in order to be more present to someone else and their needs.  

For prayer, this might come in the form of intercessory prayer for someone who asks of me, maybe someone who I haven't prayed for in a long time.  

The person asking of me and what they are asking for can come in all sorts of forms, and this might be lived out in myriad ways by different people. But the point for me will be that my decision-making during Lent will be rooted in this verse and how I can give to whoever asks of me and not demand back what might be taken from me. 

Other Verses to Consider 

If you would like to choose a Scripture theme for Lent, you can do this simply by praying with Holy Scripture and asking the Holy Spirit what He wants you to focus on for yourself or for your family this Lent. This can be done during Lectio Divina time as well.   

I've listed a small handful of verses below to consider, if you want a starting point:  

• “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) 

• “Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.” (Romans 12:12) 

• “No foul language should come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for needed edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29) 

• “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) 

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Copyright 2025 Margaret Rash
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