Our Lenten Prayer: Reflections and Observations from The Lord’s Prayer
By Olu Brown
During Lent, worshipers around the world join together in a common theme of Christian faith, practicing self-reflection and remembrance of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on Calvary. It is not only a time of individual reflection, but a time of communal reflection, reminding us that we are a global community of believers, and we have a responsibility to one anther and to our world.
Olu Brown, author of Hope: An Advent Journey, has written the new book for Lent 2022, Our Lenten Prayer, for individuals, small groups, and church-wide Lenten studies.
During this Lenten season, the author encourages the reader to lean fully on God and practice the spiritual discipline of trust. Rev. Brown believes there is so much we don’t know or understand, and so much we have to learn. He writes that our attempts to be God are futile exercises that lead to nothing but disappointment and disillusionment.
Rev. Brown believes that God is challenging us to fully release and trust God for all things in our lives during this Lenten season. It doesn’t mean we literally stop and cease to do anything, but we live and operate with the mindset that God is in control and has our best interests at heart even when we don’t fully understand what God is doing or perceive God’s presence in our lives and world. We need to be open and willing to ask God for help and direction.
Don’t worry, however. Olu reminds the reader that God is available to lead and guide us every step of the way.
Chapters include:
• The Season of Lent
• Daily Bread
• Jesus’s Model Prayer • Forgiveness
• Hypocrisy
• Fighting Temptation
• An Inclusive God and Holy God • Your Personal Doxology
• Here and Now! Kingdom Come
• Transformation
Olu Brown takes the reader on a Lenten journey in “Our Lenten Prayer” as he unpacks The Lord’s Prayer is an interactive devotional that is accessible and readable for everyday people. Each chapter includes thought-provoking insights that help prepare readers toward the journey of the Cross and challenge them to look more like Christ today than they did yesterday. “Our Lenten Journey” can be used by any church, pastor, and layperson who wants to grow in their spiritual journey.
Rosario “Roz” Picardo
Author of Money Matters
Olu Brown offers a fresh take on the Lord’s Prayer that encourages, motivates, and challenges readers to experience God once again. With relentless hope and authenticity, Olu reclaims the rest and restoration available to us in Jesus Christ. Those who seek to revitalize and strengthen their faith will find this book life-giving.
David Briggs
Senior Pastor, Abundant Life United Methodist Church
This book is an excellent read for either individual or group study during the Christian season of Lent. Olu Brown takes us on an intimate and mindful journey through the ancient prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray and illuminates the relevance and power it has for us in our present world. He offers a simple but very helpful framework for unpacking the deeper meaning of the Lord’s Prayer and applying it in our lives in a transformative way.
Dr. Joshua M. Noblitt
Pastor, St. Mark UMC, Atlanta GA