O Eternal and Most Holy God, Ancient of Days, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, Lord of Hosts and King of Peace, Father of Mercies and God of all Comfort, Consuming Fire, Rock of Age, and Search¬er of hearts, I come before You in awe and trembling, for You are holy beyond all telling, and yet nearer to me than my own breath.
You formed me from the dust of the earth, and breathed into me the breath of life. You are the Potter; I am the clay. You are the Light; I walk too often in shadow. You are Mercy; I am in need of mercy. On this Ash Wednesday, I stand in truth before You.
Remember, O Lord, that I am dust — and to dust I shall return, so this Ash Wednesday as ashes are imposed upon me, strip away from me the illusions of self-sufficiency, silence the pride in me that resists Your correction, and break the stubbornness that keeps me from surrender. Breathe upon the ashes placed or that be imposed upon my forehead. Let this dust become a sign of awakening. Where I am dry — water me. Where I am cold — ignite me. Where I am weak — fortify me. Where I am short or empty or divided withing — make me whole. Engrave eternity upon my heart. Detach me from what fades, and anchor me in what endures.
Father, I confess that I have loved lesser things more than You, that I have guarded my comfort more than Your will, that my repentance is often shallow, and that my devotion has been divided. So Lord, I lay my sins before You — the hidden faults, the unspoken compromises, the hurried prayers, the neglected obedience. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love. Wash me thoroughly, and I shall be clean, create in me a clean heart, and renew right spirits within me.
Father, as I enter this sacred season of Lent, do not let it be merely ritual or routine. Let it be wilderness. Let it be encounter. Let it be transformation. Strengthen me to fast — not only from food, but from bitterness and distraction. Strengthen me to pray — not only with words, but with longing. Strengthen me to give — not only from abundance, but from sacrifice. Teach me holy discipline without harshness. Teach me repentance without despair. Teach me humility without shame. Lead me into the desert with Christ, that I may come forth refined, my desires reordered, my vision clarified, my love rekindled.
May this Lent draw me deeper into the mystery of Christ — into His suffering, into His obedience, into His silence, into His surrender — that I may also share in His resurrection life. O Holy and Triune God, hold me fast in these Lenten days. Guard my steps. Correct my wandering. Sustain my resolve, so when Easter dawns, I may rise — not merely having observed a season, but having been changed in Your righteousness, for I ask all these through Jesus Christ our Lord, my Mediator and Shepherd. Amen.
