1. This past Sunday marked the first week of Lent. This is a 40-day period that is set aside for repentance, fasting, and prayer, to help prepare our hearts for Easter. As part of this season, the church is invited to commit to some spiritual practices that can help us to lift up our eyes to see and to hunger for our God who loves us, has died for us, and has risen for us. Consider the 4 invitations below. Are you choosing to participate in any of these spiritual practices over the next 40 days? Why or why not? What challenges do you anticipate as you engage in these spiritual practices this season?

a. Church Gatherings: Our sermon series will focus on Isaiah 40-55, and we want to invite you to deepen your commitment to attend Sunday morning services throughout Lent. To the best of our ability, we want to encourage you to make Sunday gatherings a priority, so that we can journey through Isaiah together.

b. Lenten Fast: We want to encourage you to join us in fasting throughout this Lenten season by giving up something that you tend to go to for comfort, distraction, or entertainment, like food, TV, phones, or alcohol, rather than turning to God. (On Sundays throughout Lent, you can break your fast, because it is a day of celebration, not fasting).

c. Thursday Prayers and Fasting from Food: On Thursdays, we want to invite you to fast from food during 1 or 2 meals, and join us in praying for God’s Spirit to move in a might way. Prayer prompts are provided in the Lenten booklet.

d. Daily Readings through John: The booklet contains daily readings that take us through the book of John. We invite you to join us in reflecting on the life of Christ through these daily readings.

2. Prayerfully read Isaiah 40 together, inviting God to draw your attention to words, phrases, or concepts that might stir your heart or speak to you in some way. Take time to share what you noticed.

3. Consider the Israelites journey that led up to this moment in Isaiah 40. After failing to trust in God, and instead placing their hope in other nations to save them, they found themselves in exile, defeated by their enemies. It was a disaster, and they felt like God had abandoned them. They questioned if God could see their trouble, or if he cared. Are there challenges in your life that you’ve faced (today, or in the past) that help you relate to the Israelites experience?

4. Look through Isaiah chapter 40 as a whole. What does it say about God? What truths about his character and how humanity can expect him to act are found in this chapter?

5. How do the truths about God expressed in Isaiah 40 impact how you view the challenges you have faced/are facing in your life? Does it change anything to remember God’s mighty power, and tender-hearted care?

6. Is there anything that you have your eyes fixed on lately that is distracting you from lifting your eyes to God?

7. Read Isaiah 40:29-31.

a. These verses highlight the limitations of humanity. In what ways are you noticing your own limitations these days, in the face of enduring hardships?

b. It says those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. This kind of hope requires us to wait with expectant hope and trust in God, Do you find it difficult to wait on God? How often are you tempted to take matters into your own hands, rather than trusting in God’s plans and timing? How often do you try to rely on your own strength, rather than looking to God for strength.

Pray for one another out of the things that you have shared. Pray for a renewed sense of God’s character, remembering that He is strong and mighty, everlasting, Lord over all of creation and all of history, and yet also, so tender-hearted and close to us. Pray that you would be able to lift up your eyes more and more to truly look to God as your source of hope and strength.