Theme: Let Go – Make Room for God
- thylivingwaters
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Scripture: Genesis 3:1–7; Matthew 4:1–4
“Now the serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said
to the woman, ‘Did God really say…?’ … When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was
good for food and pleasing to the eye… she took some and ate it.” (Genesis 3:1,6)
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
(Matthew 4:4)
Lent invites us to step back and ask a quiet but searching question:
What am I clinging to instead of God?
The story begins in a garden.
In Eden, there was abundance. Beauty. Provision. Security. Nothing was missing. And yet
into that abundance came a whisper: “Did God really say…?” Doubt entered before
disobedience. Desire was stirred before action.
Genesis tells us the fruit was “good for food… pleasing to the eye… desirable for gaining
wisdom.” It looked right. It felt reasonable. It promised more. And so they reached. The first
sin was not hunger. It was grasping.
Grasping for autonomy.
Grasping for control.
Grasping for something beyond what God had given.
And in that grasping, intimacy fractured. Peace unraveled. Shame entered.
Then the Gospel takes us to a wilderness.
Jesus stands where Adam once stood — but now in deprivation rather than abundance.
Hungry. Alone. Tested. The tempter whispers again: “If you are the Son of God…”
Secure yourself.
Prove yourself.
Take control.
But Jesus does not grasp. He trusts. He answers with the Word:
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Where Adam reached, Jesus releases.
Where Adam doubted, Jesus rests in the Father’s voice.
Lent is not about punishing ourselves. It is about loosening our grip. Material things are not
evil. Technology is not evil. Success is not evil. But when they become what we cling to for
identity, security, or comfort — they quietly replace God. And our souls grow restless.
Today, pause.
Notice what your heart reaches for when you feel anxious.
Notice what you turn to when you feel empty.
Notice what you rely on when you feel insecure.
Is there a whisper asking, “Did God really say?”
Is there something promising more than God Himself?
And gently pray:
“Lord, help me let go of my idols. Make room in me for You.”
The soul finds rest not in grasping, but in surrender.
Not in control, but in trust.
Not in abundance, but in dependence on God.
Reverend Joy Mayisiri
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