February 24
Nicole Brace is Camp Fowler’s former cook and wilderness guide. She is currently studying massage therapy in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Psalm 22:23-31

In the northern Midwest, where I live, the end of February is still very much part of the long, cold winter that begins around November and often stays until late April. In the second week of Lent, the darkness falls before dinner and lingers past breakfast. The dawn “breaks” of course, but usually after many people are well into their day of work, and if you’re not outside or near a window to catch it, you won’t see it. You’ll only know it’s come by the fact that the day is no longer dark.

Today’s selection feels a little like that experience. In these verses, the Psalmist is confident, certain, prophetic. He’s speaking boldly into the future. The words are full of light. But now read the first two-thirds of Psalm 22—and hear the darkness that came before these words. You will hear some of the most affecting cries of fear and abandonment made in the human heart. They are the words cried out by Jesus on the cross as he was crucified (see Matthew 27:46): “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

What happened? How did the Psalmist change from cries of anguish to the certainty of prophecy and the excitement of hope? We don’t get to see it. But something happened. The Psalmist believes, “The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever!”

If we don’t yet have the faith to believe what the Psalmist believes, perhaps today we might at least allow ourselves to wonder at what God could do in that place between darkness and dawn.

Prayer: God, today I choose to wonder what you are capable of.

For this year’s Lent devotions, the days follow the Common Lectionary texts. Each author was invited to: 1.Read the passage.
2.Read a couple passages before and after the assigned day.
3.Do something else for the day, keeping the passage in mind.
4.Find a word/phrase/concept that connects with your own experience. Reflect on that.
You are encouraged to do the same.