Lenten Hymn

 Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.  And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.  Mark 1: 12-13

Lenten Hymn
Claudia Frances Hernaman (1838 - 1898)

Lord, who throughout these forty days
for us didst fast and pray,

teach us with Thee to mourn our sins,

and close by Thee to stay.

As Thou with Satan didst contend

and didst the victory win,

O give us strength in Thee to fight,

in Thee to conquer sin.

As Thou didst hunger bear and thirst,

so teach us, gracious Lord,

to die to self, and chiefly live

by Thy most holy Word.

And through these days of penitence,

and through Thy Passiontide,

yea, evermore, in life and death,

Jesus! with us abide.

Abide with us, that so this life

of suffering overpast,

an Easter of unending joy

we may attain at last!

...

Have you ever wondered what exactly happened during the forty days Jesus in the desert?  We do not know many details from what the Bible has recorded.  We do know it was a time of fasting and probably of prayer.  When the devil came to Him, the words of Scripture were quick on Jesus' tongue, so it surely may have been a time of meditation and a special communion with His Father.

This song draws a comparison between Jesus' forty days in the desert and the forty days of Lent.  Traditionally, people give up something for this time of fasting.  This is not to punish ourselves but to put aside something that may distract us from our communion with God.  It is a special time of devotion to God, a time when we invite Him to abide with us in a more focused way.  Not that we should abandon or lessen our relationship with Him after Easter is over, but that we can come nearer and closer to Him so that we may always feel the need to be closer to Him.  

This is a time to refocus on our relationship with Christ.

Grace and peace to you.

...

Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days (Lenten Hymn) (Cover) - YouTube

Lord, Who throughout These Forty Days - YouTube

Claudia Hernaman — Hymnology Archive