Ash Wednesday Prayer
This Ash Wednesday prayer will help us begin the Christian season called Lent that prepares us for Easter.
This Ash Wednesday prayer helps us begin a conversation with God about forgiveness. It sets the stage for self examination, fasting and spiritual preparation that lasts for 6 weeks before Easter Sunday.
Many churches celebrate on Ash Wednesday by having church services where ashes are traced on the forehead by a minister or priest in the sign of the cross. The minister often repeats, “Remember that from dust you came and to dust you will go. Repent and believe the gospel.”
Here is personal Ash Wednesday prayer for you to use on Ash Wednesday in your prayers to God:
Ash Wednesday Prayer
Dear Father, on Ash Wednesday I pray that you will show me how to transfer the sign of the cross marked in ashes on my forehead into a living reality in my life.
As I kneel in prayer and hear the words, “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return” help me to think deeply about my own mortality. I’m often so busy living that I forget that the day will eventually come when I will die and leave everything on this earth behind. All of the things I love so much and all of the things that worry me and cause me pain will vanish completely in a blink of an eye. Here are my meditations and thoughts on death…
As I hear the words spoken over me, “Repent and believe the gospel” help me to use the weeks before Easter as a time to examine my thoughts and deeds to see the ways my living and thinking are contrary to your will. Help me to apply the discipline needed to seek your Truth and to move away from my sins and closer to Christ.
Help me to strengthen my spiritual willpower during Lent by refraining from the following things in order that I might depend on your strength and be brought closer to You…
Help me to learn moderation in …
Help me to establish or improve the following personal spiritual practice in my life…
Help me to grow in my love for Christ and His Kingdom. Show me one specific way to do this…
May this spiritual journey of Lent prepare my heart for Easter. I wait with eager longing for the victorious celebration of Christ’s resurrection power that triumphs over my sin and opens wide the gate of eternal life. Amen.
Other related articles
Mardi Gras Prayer, Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Carnival Prayer
Copyright Karen Barber 2012 All rights reserved.
