Lent is a season that brings a gentle gravity. A season that cloaks us in both shadow and anticipation. It begins with ashes traced on our foreheads, a reminder of the need for penance and that we’re made of dust. The season unfolds over 40 days as we follow our Lord’s journey to the cross.
During Lent, we live in this sacred tension, caught between the sting of repentance and the hope beyond the grave. Into this quiet, Philippians 3:10 emerges like a flame in the dusk. We read Paul’s passionate cry, “...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
Paul’s cry reimagines Lent. It’s not just a somber vigil or a countdown to Easter. Lent is a bold invitation to taste the power of the resurrection right now, amid the sacrifices and stillness of this holy season, before the trumpets of Easter morning.
Knowing Christ
What does it mean to “know Christ?” For Paul, it’s no mere acquaintance or intellectual nod. It’s a consuming fire, a deep ache to encounter Jesus in His fullness. To know His tenderness, His tenacity, and His triumph. Lent hands us this same longing. We strip away life’s excess like the sweet taste of a morning pastry, the pull of endlessly streaming our favorite shows, or the desire to read the latest social feeds. Instead, Lent helps us carve out a holy space for our Lord.
The Lenten season echoes Christ’s 40 days in the wilderness, where He faced hunger, solitude, and the tempter’s schemes. Yet, He emerged victorious (Matthew 4:1-11). In a similar way, Lent becomes our wilderness, a testing round where we meet Christ anew.
This knowing is visceral, relational. It’s not about reciting doctrines or ticking spiritual boxes. Instead, it’s about sitting with Jesus in the silence, feeling His presence in our very being. Every prayer, every bad habit relinquished opens us up, heart and soul, to Jesus.
What's the gift of Lent? Knowing Christ reshapes us for Himself, drawing us into a love that rewrites our hearts and souls from the inside out.
The Power That Breaks Through
Paul’s “power of his resurrection” stirs images of Easter—the stone drawn aside, the empty tomb, the Savior risen and alive! (Matthew 28:6). But this power isn’t a distant memory or a prize for Easter alone. Christ’s power is a living pulse of the Holy Spirit, thrumming through our now, even in Lent’s muted tones. The ashes we wear aren’t just a mark of endings; they’re a canvas for life that erupts from death’s grip.
In Ephesians 1:19-20, Paul wants his readers to know “...what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heavenly places…” That’s no trivial force Paul’s talking about. It’s the might of God, through the Holy Spirit, that shattered the grave. This same force He offers to us today if we believe in Christ.
In Lent, we fast and confess; we’re not just shedding weight. We’re inviting the resurrection’s renewal to flood our souls. Psalm 30:11 NKJV speaks of this transformation: “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.” Every skipped indulgence, each repentant tear plants a see for joy, tended by the power of the Holy Spirit already stirring within.
Lent is our desert experience; recall the Israelites in the wilderness. They were parched and pleading for water (Exodus 17:1-7). God told Moses to strike a rock. Moses was obedient, and water gushed forth. This is a glimpse of Christ, our Rock, who pours living water into our driest places (1 Corinthians 10:4). Lent is our wilderness, and the resurrection power is our stream.
During this season, we’ve had the chance to fast and confess, opening our souls toward God’s whispers. He offers us a renewal that we need desperately. This is the very power Paul wants us to receive through Christ and the Holy Spirit—he wants it to break through our ordinary lives and fill us with divine life, turning our dust into something radiant.
Participating in His Sufferings
Paul’s yearning to participate in Christ’s sufferings may be unsettling. Suffering isn’t a prize we chase these days. Yet, Lent has a holy purpose. Jesus said, “...If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23 NKJV) The choices we make throughout Lent—forgoing meals, silencing distractions, or facing old wounds—mirror this call. They’re not about earning God’s favor; they’re about walking beside the One who bore our sins on the cross.
Participating in Christ’s sufferings redeems us. 2 Corinthians 4:10-11 NKJV explains, “...always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” In these verses, Paul highlights that his ministry is not done in his own strength. It’s only done in the power of Christ. This power is made manifest in Paul’s weakness and suffering.
As Christians, followers of Christ, we, too, are called to willingly suffer for Christ. Like Paul, He can work His power in and through our weakness and suffering. We can find Jesus’ strength in our weakness, whatever that may be. When we let go of our pretense of strength in ourselves, putting our faith in Christ, we reflect His self-emptying love.
Through our suffering, we are driven to prayer, where we find strength through the Holy Spirit. This life-giving power flows into us in spite of our weakness.
Suffering becomes a bridge to life, a way to taste His sacrifice. In Gthesemane, Jesus prayed, “...Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42 NKJV). Lent brings us to our own Gethsemane—moments of struggle where we choose trust and faith over ease and being comfortable. The power of the resurrection doesn’t bypass our suffering; it glows from within us, promising that every surrender leads to increased strength and life everlasting.
Becoming Like Christ
What does it mean “becoming like him in his death”? Here, Paul refers to dying to self that gives birth to Christ’s life within us. Galatians 2:20 NKJV proclaims, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Paul’s saying his old self—the sinning self—has been crucified, and now he lives empowered by the Holy Spirit.
As believers, our former self (with their desires and motives) is no longer the source of our lives. Instead, once we have died to self, we become empowered to live a life that pleases God. Lent is our forge—the slow, intentional process of being shaped by God for His purpose and our salvation. This process requires our effort and surrender on our parts as God shapes us.
This becoming is a daily process and choice. Each day in Lent, we must ask ourselves, “Will I hold tight or let go?” Forgiving betrayal, serving unnoticed, praying through fatigue—these small deaths align us with Christ. Lent is a time of discipline, where heat burns away pride, fear, or apathy, molding us into His image. Over 40 days, “death to self” weaves a life that reflects our Lord, preparing us for the glory to come.
Living the Resurrection Now
Lent can definitely feel heavy with fasting, silence, and repentance. It’s a long trek for the soul. Yet the power of the resurrection lifts every burden. In John 11:25-26 NKJV, Jesus declares to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Jesus asks each of us this question. How do you answer?
Before raising Lazarus, Jesus proved the resurrection power isn’t a future hope—it’s a present reality. Every hunger pang, every faltering step, meets His promise. When Lent drags, recall our risen Lord. Live in His power now—Christ’s power anchors us. When we stumble, He restores us. When tears fall, He comforts us. Lent is grief yielding to joy, death to life. When the fast stings, we can whisper, “You rose, and I will too.” Christ is the source of the power within each of us.
An Uplifting Invitation
Let Philippians 3:10 guide you through the rest of Lent to Easter. Pursue knowing Christ—His power, His pain, His victory. Embrace the resurrection as your strength today. Walk through suffering, trusting it shapes you into His image. Let each “no” to self become a “yes” to life in Christ. Lent isn’t only a prelude to Easter—it’s the power of the resurrection breaking through right now.
The tomb is empty, the battle has been won, and the power that raised Jesus Christ flows through us if we believe Jesus is the Son of God who has been raised from the dead and lives with God. The power of the resurrection isn’t waiting—it’s here, urging each of us to rise. Live with courage. Share the Good News with love. Let it illuminate every step of this sacred season!
God bless,
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