First Sunday In Lent: Invocabit.

He will call upon Me in prayer;
I will answer him;
I will be with him in tribulation;
I will deliver him;
I will glorify him. (Psalm 91:15)

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1)

On this first Sunday of Lent (Invocabit- Latin for "He will call upon Me"), we take time to reflect on the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. We must not forget, though, that this wilderness experience began with a forty day fast. The devil did not present any temptation until after our Lord Jesus had experienced almost one and a half months of profound spiritual discipline and communion with God.

In Psalm 91:15, we are given a formula:

Communing. We draw near to God in prayer, a two-way conversation in which we offer our devotion and petition, and God speaks in response to our pleasure in Him and our pleas to Him.

Consuming. Our relationship with God is put through tribulation: a test, a trial by fire. As we are told in First Corinthians 3:11-15, this fire reveals whether our devotion is authentic (gold, silver) or worthless (wood, stubble).

Commending. Our Lord, the same Lord who dips us into the flames of testing, steps in to deliver His faithful servants. And, with His deliverance, He speaks words of commendation and honor: "My child, you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore I, your God, choose to anoint you with the oil of joy, giving you a commendation greater than others in your faith community." (see Psalm 45:7)

This is the way of the maturing Christian. We humble ourselves in extended prayer and fasting, and the Lord permits tests and temptations so that we might truly know where we stand in Him.

Do you know where you stand?