Lent began on Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2026, and concludes on Holy Saturday, April 4, 2026, leading to the celebration of Easter on April 5, 2026. Throughout these forty days, we will provide daily devotionals—including Scripture, meditation, and prayer—to help you walk more intentionally with Christ. May this sacred season deepen your hunger for God and your desire to be conformed to the image of His Son. These devotionals came from one of our many resources, Once a day, 40 Days to Easter. You can find this book on our website at www.kenboa.org. In the 40 days of Lent, Sundays are not included so there will no devotionals on these days.
Day 35 (March 30)
Luke 2:21-35
On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Isaiah 53:11
After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied.
John 10:17
The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.
Meditation
Easter begins at Christmas. Joy to the world! For unto us a child is born; unto us a Son is given. Away in a manger. Silent night. This is where it begins. And yet we know the rest of the story. This baby was born for one primary purpose: to die. Surely, Mary and Joseph would have been a bit worried, as all first-time parents are, that their newborn would be healthy. They probably experienced relief that he survived his unorthodox birth and lived to his eighth day when they could present him in the temple. And, though they had not been told exactly what it meant, they believed the angel’s words -- that this baby would somehow save his people from their sins. The angel did not tell them that he would cause trouble. And so it must have come as some shock to hear the words of the old man Simeon. Their son, their only son, whom they loved, would bring pain. People would stumble over him. People would speak terrible things against him. As Jesus grew, he understood this, hinting to his friends that his destiny would not be a pleasant one. But they failed to understand. Eventually, he stated it explicitly. He would be condemned and murdered, but he would return. One of his closest friends shouted, “Never!” But Jesus was resolute. This Christmas baby was born to be subjected to brutality and humiliation. He would lay down his life, so that he could bring life to us all. Joy to the world, indeed.
Prayer
Sovereign Lord, I am mystified by the Incarnation of your Son. Who would have thought of this? God taking on flesh, emptying himself? The Creator of all entering into his own creation, becoming one of us? This is astonishing. The incredible lengths to which you have gone in order to save us all from Satan’s power, providing a means of reconciliation for those who were alienated and estranged from you. It is too marvelous for words. Only you could have conceived this. Only you would have willingly offered the life of your Son in exchange for ours, transferring our sin to him, imputing his righteousness to us. Knowing he would be betrayed, rejected and murdered by the people he came to save, he still came. May I always be thankful for your glorious gift and recall the awful price you paid to make it possible to bestow. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.
Day 36 (March 31)
Psalm 42:1-3, 9-11
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Matthew 5:6
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
John 4:7, 9a, 10-11, 13-14
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 7:37-38
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
John 19:28
Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
Meditation
The Old Testament poets had far less knowledge about the person and promises of God than we enjoy through the fullness of New Testament revelation. Yet they seem to have a much better grasp on what it is to thirst for God than we do. That thirst, so necessary to true discipleship, is usually dulled in us by worry and the desire for other things. But Jesus called that hunger and thirst for true righteousness (which can only be found in him) “blessed.” It is this longing that leads us to the realization that we are meant to live for more than the things we see and strive for. This thirst leads us into deeper relationship with Jesus and becomes a spring that overflows from us to the lives of others. What do you want more than anything in the world? The question calls for a decision: to follow hard after God or to chase after everything else. One path leads to intimacy, the other to idolatry. For the Samaritan woman, there was no question. The future hope she desired was standing right in front of her asking for a drink. And what Jesus wanted more than anything was coming to completion just before he spoke those words. Like a distance runner at a finish line, Jesus has only the strength and breath to say, “I am thirsty,” and then he commits his finished work and his spirit to the Father, so that we will never have to thirst again.
Prayer
God of grace, I live in a dry and weary land. I have tasted how good you are, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more of you. I so desperately need what only you can provide, and yet I confess that I often search in other places. I do not desire you as much as I ought, but I want to want you more. I long to be filled with a holy longing. Show me a glimpse of your glory, and my thirst will be quickened again. You sent your Son to pour out his life for me. Show me how I may find utter satisfaction as I pour out my life now in service to you and to others. And when I am tempted to seek satisfaction in other places, discipline me gently back to you as my only true source of strength. Amen.
Day 37 (April 1)
Luke 23:32-43
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals -- one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:1-4
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Meditation
What kind of man uses his dying breath to spew venom and hatred at a complete stranger? The kind of man the Romans saw fit to crucify. He could not even be trusted as a slave any more. They felt the only recourse for such a man was public execution in the most tortuous manner they could conceive. Meet the thief on the cross -- not the one we normally talk about -- the other one -- the one writhing in agony and still joining with the crowd in heaping insults on an innocent man. Only after surveying this character should we allow our gaze to drift to the other -- the one on Jesus’ other side -- the one who knows he has brought this all on himself. The one who is not raging any longer but feels the sting of shame and humiliation this punishment is intended to evoke. Now think of the courage it takes for him to take one last shot, make one last attempt at redemption. He uses his last bit of strength to come to the defense of an obviously innocent man. And then, because he knows his end is near, he makes one last request -- not for deliverance from his impending death but for something positive on the other side of it. And now allow your eyes to move to the One in the middle and realize this: knowing full well that this thief to his side could never do a single positive thing in return, Jesus Christ promises him salvation.
Prayer
Jesus, lover of my soul, you have gone to unimaginable lengths to display your love and grace and mercy to me, disobedient and rebellious as I have been. It is impossible for my finite mind to grasp the breadth and length and height and depth of your love. It passes all understanding. If you gave me justice, I would have no hope. I would be alienated and estranged from you and suffer the consequences of your holy judgment. But you would not leave me in that state, choosing to offer me a grace I do not deserve. You met the righteous requirement of justice through your redemptive sacrifice on the cross. You set me free from the consequences and threw my offenses into the deepest sea. For this I can never repay you. I can only praise you and offer my life as a living sacrifice for your glory. Amen.
Day 38 (April 2)
Luke 23:44-45a
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining.
Matthew 27:50-54
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
Luke 23:48-49
When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Romans 3:21-26
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood -- to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished -- he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Hebrews 9:15
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance -- now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
Meditation
It is good Friday. And there are a lot of good things about it. Rain falls at this time of year, sun shines and beautiful things grow. So what draws us today to sit and think about an instrument of death? Is there not something better we could do with our day to enrich our lives? Everything in the world (especially in the world of advertising) tells us that there are other things we could be doing to enhance our longevity, improve our lifestyles, increase our happiness. But the truth is, there comes a time in everyone’s life when we become painfully aware that these things do not bring what they promised. We are all dying to live, but the allure of this life is always proven an illusion, one that either ebbs away or is ripped from our hands. Our health is compromised. A relationship fails. A loved one dies. The opportunity of a lifetime falls through. People betray us. And all of a sudden, the life we worked so hard to create is suddenly much less than we had hoped for. The truth is, what draws us to the cross and to Jesus is something deep inside us that tells us that all that Jesus said was true. We were meant to live for more than these things, and the real currency that purchased our freedom is death. None of our achievements matter in light of what Jesus achieved on the day he died. Ironically, through his death he provides us with the life we have always wanted but have never been able to attain on our own.
Prayer
Dear God, you make it so clear that none of us can save ourselves by living longer or better. If your abundant life were possible through human attainment, Jesus would not have had to die. But I know that apart from him I am incapable of truly living the life for which you created me. I cannot achieve perfection on my own. I cannot earn my salvation through clever invention or shrewd investments. I have fallen short of your goodness, your glory and your standards. My sin separates me from you, and I am in a desperate condition without the mercy and grace I find only in the cross of your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ. I will praise you forever because in your unfailing love you had compassion on me in my helpless state. Because I trust in him, he gives me what I both need and want most: the gift of eternal life with you. In his Saving name I pray. Amen.
Day 39 (April 3)
John 19:31-37
Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
Mark 15:43-45
Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph.
John 19:38b-42
Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Meditation
Tomorrow is Easter, and you probably have already allowed your mind to push past today and begin thinking of the grand celebration that will take place commemorating the resurrection of Jesus. But wait. Not so fast. We would do well to remember that the people we read about in the Bible had to live this all one verse at a time. They didn’t know the end of the story as we do. They couldn’t skip ahead to the next chapter. For them, this was Saturday. Jesus was dead and buried. The tomb was sealed shut. Hope was lying there silently in that cave. Why should we bother thinking about Jesus’ final moments on the cross and who buried him? One answer is that there would be several false accounts that would crop up over the next several centuries, accounts which deny either the death or the resurrection of Jesus. It is essential to our faith that we affirm: Jesus was really dead. That is why they buried him. These were not overly superstitious people; they knew when someone was dead, and they knew what to do with a dead body. You bury it. Joseph and Nicodemus go to great personal trouble and expense to honor Jesus. Though they did not stand for him in life, they now stand for him in death, preparing his body in haste so as to get him in the tomb before sundown. They intended to go back later and remove his bones. Of course, they never got around to that. And everyone knew why.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, your death and resurrection are the very foundation of my faith, the source of my hope and purpose, the wellspring of my salvation, the assurance of my peace and the basis for my eternal life with you. I confess that I am often so quick to jump from Good Friday to Easter Sunday that I rarely contemplate what life must have been like for those earliest followers on that Holy Saturday. Yet in the quiet darkness of that day a miracle was occurring, as all the power of evil and death were being undone. Likewise, teach me that you continue to work in hidden and unseen ways which you will reveal to me in your timing. Thank you for dying. Thank you for giving yourself up on my behalf. Show me the wisdom of waiting patiently for your return. In your saving name. Amen.
Day 40 (April 4)
Luke 24:1-8
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then they remembered his words.
1 Corinthians 15:1-6, 17-18, 20-22
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
Meditation
All of Christianity is summed up in one verifiable, historical event. And this changes everything. Jesus of Nazareth, a maverick Jewish rabbi and prophet, who claimed to be the Christ about whom scripture foretold, was arrested, condemned in an illegal trial and crucified. A soldier’s spear to his side and the blood and water that flowed from the wound confirmed that his lungs had collapsed. Days after his body had been prepared and placed in a sealed tomb, some women went back to the tomb and found the Roman seal broken, and his body (along with the guards whose lives depended on their keeping watch over it) gone. More than 500 people claimed to have seen him alive soon after that day. Others claim to have seen him ascend into heaven. Most of these witnesses were still alive at the time of the writing of the four gospels. Were the words of this “good news” not true, one of these witnesses would have surely refuted them. Those who committed to follow Jesus early on gained no visible benefit from following him, no wealth or power or possession. Rather, many were themselves beaten, stoned, tortured and crucified. Yet Christianity has persisted, on through history. And because we know that this is factual, we can also know that his promises are sure. The One who died a criminal to take our sin is alive now, preparing a place for us. And one day, we will be made alive again with him.
Prayer
Loving Lord, you have called us to be born again to a living hope that comes only through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. You are preparing an inheritance for me that will never be corrupted and never fade away. And yet I confess that I often put my hope in other things. Deliver me from the futility of misplaced hopes that ultimately fade from existence. Teach me the wisdom of seeking you and finding security in your unchanging character. Only your promises will stand forever, for they flow from your perfections. It is folly to trust in the uncertainties of people, possessions or position, because all of these ultimately disappoint. Instead, I choose to hope in your and pray that I will grow in the knowledge, love and trust of you. Then I will experience the security and satisfaction that come from growing conformity to the image of Christ in me. Amen.