Dust and Grace - Your Nightly Prayer for Ash Wednesday - February 18th
Your Nightly Prayer
Audio By Carbonatix
By Sophia Bricker, Crosswalk.com
Dust and Grace
Your Nightly Prayer for Ash Wednesday
by Sophia Bricker
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
"By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." - Genesis 3:19, NIV
SOMETHING TO PONDER
God formed us from the ground. He molded and shaped us, breathing life into our nostrils (Genesis 2:7). We, as humans, are unique in creation because He not only spoke us into existence; He created us personally and in His own image (Genesis 1:27). Yet, something happened at the fall. We who were made to live forever in perfect communion with the Lord died spiritually. As a result, God said we would return to the ground from which we were created. From dust to dust.
Ash Wednesday draws upon this imagery as believers gather to receive the smear of ash upon their heads at church. The act of receiving this anointing of ash reminds us of our fragile existence and the brevity of life. It is a humbling reminder of where we came from and where we are going. Regardless of how rich, powerful, talented, or well-liked we are, nothing can prevent our inevitable return to dust. As the author of Ecclesiastes wrote, “All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return” (3:20, NIV).
Even as we humbly recall our destiny, though, there is hope. When the pastor or priest places the ashes on the believer’s head, he does not merely place a dot or unshaped smear. No, he forms the shape of a cross. And in that act is a powerful parable of grace. For God the Son entered the world as a human man. The Creator who formed us took on human flesh and became dust so that He could redeem us from sin’s curse by dying on a cross. His resurrection also ensured that all who believe in Him will likewise be raised from the dust of the ground and given glorified bodies.
Though the first Adam was made a living being and brought death, Jesus, the last Adam, brings life (1 Corinthians 15:45-49). We are physical sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, inheritors of sin and death. But in Christ, we become sons and daughters of God, inheritors of eternal life and resurrection. As the Apostle Paul wrote: “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57, NIV).
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Lord,
Today I remember that I am made from dust and to dust I will return. My life, like every other human, resembles the flowers of the field, which are here one day and gone the next. As I remember that I am but dust, may I learn to number my days well and use the time that You have given me wisely. But help me not to so emphasize my return to the ground that I forget that the sacrifice You, Jesus, made on the cross frees me from sin’s curse. Because You have risen, I too will rise. Thank you for your gift of grace. In Your name, I pray.
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. Dirt from the ground. What does it make you think about? How might its life-giving capability symbolize the hope found in Christ?
2. A calendar. Consider how many days are before you in the coming year, month, and week. How will you use them? How can you leverage them for the glory of God?
3. A Bible verse that touches on the themes of dust and resurrection. Isaiah 26:19 and Daniel 12:2 are excellent examples of passages to meditate upon. How do they evoke the imagery of Genesis?
Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Sophia Bricker is a writer. Her mission is to help others grow in their relationship with Jesus through thoughtful articles, devotionals, and stories. She completed a BA and MA in Christian ministry which included extensive study of the Bible and theology, as well as an MFA in creative writing. You can read her thoughts about literature and faith at The Cross, a Pen, and a Page Substack, or visit the discipleship-based site Cultivate, where she writes with her sister.
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