ASCEND: Lent 2025 Experience
Week Five, Restoring our hearts
Join me as we enter into the fifth week of Lent. I have been offering these Lent experiences each week to my paid subscribers. This week I wanted to offer it free to all of my subscribers. I hope you enjoy this intentional experience and will consider a paid subscription to support my work in the future.
I’ve created this special devotional series on the theme Ascend, inviting you to walk through the psalms with me. The “Songs of Ascent,” are a group of 15 psalms, including Psalms 120-134. This collection of psalms spans individual and corporate laments, songs of confidence, thanksgiving hymns, a song celebrating Zion, wisdom psalms, a royal psalm, and a psalm for worship. These were songs that were familiar to the Jews and often sung during pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts of the Jewish faith (Deuteronomy 16:16). The city had a high elevation so the people who traveled there had to ascend to get there.
The Hebrew term for "ascent" is maʿalot which means "going up." Some believe there are 15 psalms of ascent to represent the 15 steps up to the temple in Jerusalem. One psalm specifically refers to the “going up” to Jerusalem (Psalm 122:4).
During Lent, we have the opportunity to seek, to confess, to wade through grief, and to ascend with our hearts and minds to meet with our Heavenly Father. The 40 days of Lent often point to the journey of the Son Jesus from the wilderness to death on a cross to glorious resurrection. These psalms call us back into the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Friend, I am inviting you to carve out time with me this Lenten season to “go up” to God. I have learned when going on an adventure it’s always good to have a companion. I am here to sojourn alongside you. This week we will be reading Psalm 126 as we learn about God’s heart to restore.
Read:
Read or listen to the following psalms and take some time to meditate on the verses this week. Consider reading these verses in a translation that you don't typically read to give you a fresh perspective. What is the Holy Spirit speaking to you about mercy through these verses?
A song of ascents.
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of[a] Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.[b]
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.4 Restore our fortunes,[c] Lord,
like streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.
Learn:
I tiptoed up the back steps to the balcony so I could watch her. My 13-year-old joined the worship team this year at school. She has been leading her peers in worship for the last six months for Middle School chapel.
Her voice rang out clear as a bell in the gym accompanied by the guitar, bass, drums and other vocals. Even when she was two, music was her outlet, her gift through grief.
Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes as she sang the words to the song that has become our family anthem over the last decade. The song reminds us that God is great, and He is the one who breathed life into us.
My mind flashed back to that day 10 years ago when our friends from our church worship team came to our home. The cancer was already coursing through my husband’s body and had reached his lungs, but he was in a posture of worship. He was seated on our big red couch with his hands raised to heaven as the music permeated the air.
As our little girls - ages 2, 5 and 8 - danced around the living room, we worshipped together. We poured out audacious praise, singing that very same song, and the presence of God pervaded the room.
My husband soared to heaven a few short weeks later.
Worship has helped us through our grief. Worship reminds us - even in life’s storms - that our God is greater than our circumstances. Worship beckons us to believe that restoration and redemption are possible for every one of us.
Psalm 126 is a community lament that is believed to be written by Ezra or another godly man who returned from Babylonian exile. The psalm recalls a previous season of God’s mercy on His people and asks him to show this mercy or restore His blessing again.
In verse 1, the word “restored,” is the past tense of restore or שׁוּבָ֣ה šū-ḇāh in Hebrew, meaning to “turn back, return, retreat.” The psalmist (and those singing this song of ascent through the years) are longing to turn back or return to this time “filled with laughter” and “shouts of joy” described in verse 2.
Restoration is woven all throughout the Bible. God, in His great power and grace, restores us emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. Although we deserve death for our sins, God sent His Son Jesus to restore us to Himself eternally.
During Lent, we slow down to reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made for our restoration. In the dust and death, we are invited to breathe new life.
The refrain in Psalm 126 is “The Lord has done great things,” which is repeated twice. I can’t help but marvel at how this psalm is similar in theme and words to the worship song that hemmed us in and carried us through the loss of my late husband.
That same song the worship team sang ten years ago in our living room is the same song that has been played at almost every event I’ve spoken at since then. I never tell them ahead of time, but the local worship team or leader always selects it. It’s the same song played during the worship set last fall when we were dropping our oldest off at college. It’s the same song my youngest daughter sang last week at chapel. I could almost hear her daddy in heaven singing along.
I don’t believe this is a coincidence; It’s a glimpse of His glory at every turn.
Our family has experienced restoration first hand. We have lost much, but we have also gained much more. God brought new relationships, new opportunities, and new depth of faith out of our sorrow. I see this in my three daughters. I feel this deeply in myself and the person I’ve become.
This song and this psalm are both a reminder that our great God restores our joy in surprising and unexpected ways. Like the rain that falls outside my window tonight watering the thirsty earth, our tears actually water the seeds that yield a harvest in the future.
Those who plant in tears
will harvest with shouts of joy.
They weep as they go to plant their seed,
but they sing as they return with the harvest.
Friend, this is the miracle of restoration.
Reflect:
What have you learned from this reflection about Psalm 126?
Is there something that needs to be restored in your life?
How have you experienced or witnessed restoration in the past? How has your weeping been turned to joy?
See: Visio Divina
Take five minutes or more to gaze at this image by Carl Henrch Bloch called “The Visitation.” This piece of sacred art depicts Mary visiting Elizabeth. You might journal your responses to the following questions as you engage with this painting.
How would you describe the women in this painting?
What draws your attention?
What emotions does this image evoke in you?
Talk to God in prayer about what you see and how it might apply to you.
Move:
Take some time this week to go on a drive or walk through your city or town. While you are walking, meditate on the words of 1 Peter 5:10:
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
What is the Holy Spirit revealing about restoration through this verse?
Listen:
Steep in a song or two on this playlist. Let the music encourage your heart. Look up the lyrics and sing along or click the Lyrics tab on Spotify so you can sing into the words. “Highlands" (Song of Ascent)” has really been ministering to me. Don’t miss that one!
ASCEND - Lent 2025 music collection
Read or listen to Psalm 126 here in The Message version.
1-3 It seemed like a dream, too good to be true,
when God returned Zion’s exiles.
We laughed, we sang,
we couldn’t believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of the nations—
“God was wonderful to them!”
God was wonderful to us;
we are one happy people.4-6 And now, God, do it again—
bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair
will shout “Yes!” at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.
Amen.
What words or phrases makes you pause or stand out to you?
Glory recommendations
Each week I like to share links to some of my own work or resources that are inspiring me and my family to chase after God’s glory! Here are five for you to check out this week:
Looking for a unique and inspiring gift to add to your kids’ Easter basket or to give for a birthday gift? My book, Chasing God’s Glory, is on super sale this week. When Zayla asks her mom to describe God’s glory, Mama knows it’s time for an adventure! Together, Mama and Zayla discover how sunrises and dancing, daffodils and green peppers, kind words and loving hugs—and more!—are all reminders of God’s glory.
Every month I give away one book to one of my Glorygram subscribers. The March book giveaway is Tell Her Story, a book about how women led, taught, and ministered in the early church by Nijay K. Gupta. The book unfolds the stories of women, including Phoebe, Prisca, Junia and Nympha, who played important roles in the church. This is one of my favorite church history books. The winner of this month’s giveaway is Sarah Butterfield.
As a Christian, you know you're supposed to pray. But do you ever find yourself wrestling with any of these questions related to prayer?
Do I have to pray the right way for God to answer my prayer?
Why does God sometimes not answer my prayers?
Am I still praying if I read pre-written prayers?
If you've pondered these questions or others about prayer, Pray Like This is for you. Maybe prayer has been tough for you and feels like you're wrestling with God. Maybe you've prayed for the same thing for years without answer. In this six-week Bible study of the Gospel of Matthew, Bible teacher Barb Roose takes a deep dive with you into Jesus' prayer patterns. I love my friend Barb’s practical teaching and rich storytelling in this study and all of her writing. This book is the April giveaway! Comment below with why you’d like to win this one.
Are you headed out on a Spring Break trip? Consider listening to Season 5 of the Global Glory Chasers podcast! I recorded these conversations about food, books, and travel to inspire you. If you're interested in seeing the imago dei in the people and cultures around the world, these conversations will guide and inspire you.
I love listening to new music in each season. Fun fact: I create playlists for each year using my word of the year and for each new book project to listen to while writing, editing and to share with readers. I created this playlist, “Resurrection Rising,” for you and your family to enjoy during this Lent and Easter season!
Friend, I’m so grateful you are a part of my Glorygram tribe! I count it an incredible privilege to connect with each of you through this Glorygram. I offer a paid subscription to this newsletter with all the bells and whistles! For $50 per year (or $5 a month), you'll gain access to my full archive, bonus posts, monthly recipe posts, and my upcoming Lent devotional!
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To subscribe and unlock this exclusive content, simply hit the Subscribe Now button. Founding members will also get a personalized, signed copy of one of my books! I am so grateful for all of your prayers and support!
Working on my devotional book project, I have wrestled with adding a prayer at the end of every devotion. I feel prayer needs to be personal and not suggested. This feeling comes from precisely the third question. I'd love to read what she says about this.
I find myself questioning the need for prayer lately. I have been in church all my life, but I see things happen or not happening despite what I ask God to do. I still pray to chat with Him, but I wish I understood the purpose aside from this more, or if there is one.