“Do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you

wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 ( NLT )

Lord Jesus, on this first day of Lent, our hearts kneel before You. Lead us, Lord. Teach us. Draw us close.

I was nervous. Why, Lord? After all, I'd done plenty of other worship services at the Health Center. But this was Ash Wednesday, and that was a first for me. I'd had advice from Dick about how to proceed. Technically, it seemed pretty straightforward. I knew what to do and what to say. So, why was I nervous?

Maybe it was because I'd been there just three days before on Sunday afternoon. That service had been pure joy. Many faces were new that winter but had already become dear to me. Others had been there for years and had worked their way into my heart. We'd sung and laughed and cried together. I wanted so much to make their first day of Lent mean something special. For some of them this would be their last Easter season.

Finally, I got around to what I should have done in the first place. I went upstairs and got on my knees and asked You for help, and of course, You gave it. I knew without a doubt that it wasn't my intelligence or wit or talent that had moved them. It was Your Spirit.

Your sweet, sweet Spirit came and changed the very atmosphere in that room. Our feisty one meekly asked for ashes. That was after the service, from which he'd been taken after an outburst. He even apologized for all the trouble he'd caused. I could almost imagine Your Grin as I kissed him and whispered in his ear that it was OK – I have grumpy days too.

And then there was our silent lady. Month after month I'd tried for a smile or a word or any response at all. After I'd anointed her forehead with ashes, she reached up for a hug and with tears told me of her love for you, Jesus.

Thank You, Lord, for nervousness. I drove poor Dick crazy with it most of the day, but it drove me to my knees. What a perfect place to be.