Lent Week 3 - Patience through Promises

Scripture Reading

Matthew 4:1-4

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Big Idea (For Parents)

Jesus was fully tempted as we are so that he alone might defeat temptation for us. Having done so, he now empowers us by his Spirit to progressively do the same. Thus, because he is our Savior, he is also now our example.

“Wilderness” situations in life involve intentional fasting from—or divine removal of—some of God’s good gifts. These situations test us and mature us into those who, like Jesus, walk in victory over temptation, even when temptation to stop waiting on God and sinfully take things for ourselves is strongest.

Jesus here models victorious patience in temptation by focusing on God’s promise.

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Family Reflection

(Read aloud or summarize)

Jesus didn’t just talk the talk about fasting, he walked the walk. When the Spirit led him out to fast for forty days in the wilderness, Jesus followed. In this, Jesus fulfilled God’s intention for fasting where Israel had failed before. Jesus was tempted just like others, but Jesus never sinned. 

Jesus’ fasting was part of him living as a fully human person. He experienced all the hunger, pains, and fears that we experience when we go for a time without receiving one or more of God’s good gifts. Those are often times when we feel the strongest temptation to sin. And yet, while carrying all our burdens, Jesus fully defeated temptation. Now he shares his victory with us, and we follow his example as we too overcome temptation.

One of the most common temptations we experience when fasting is impatience. Satan tempted Jesus to see whether Jesus would wait on God’s timing to eat, being content with the promises of God in the meantime, or whether Jesus would reach out and take food in his own time and way. Jesus responded with God’s life-promising Word.

In any Lenten fasting we do or any other difficult “wilderness” situation in life, we are also tempted with impatience. Like Jesus, our path to victory must include focusing on God’s promises while waiting for God’s gifts.

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Discussion Questions

(Choose 1–2, adjust for age)

1- How does it make you feel to know that when you’re hungry, tired, sad, or otherwise tempted by circumstances to do the wrong thing, Jesus also knows what that feels like?

2- How do you think Jesus was able to remember God’s promises when he was tempted to disobey God? How familiar with God’s Word do you think Jesus was?

3- What is a time in your daily or weekly routine in which you are tempted to be impatient?

4- What promise of God could you think about when you are tempted with impatience?

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Practice—Praying the Promises

(Simple, embodied action for the week)

-Identify a scenario when as a family or individuals you will likely be tempted to sin by impatience this week. If fasting, think about any ways the fasting might contribute to the temptation.

-Together, choose a promise in God’s Word that you could think about and pray when experiencing the temptation. If the temptation is related to fasting, the same promise Jesus quoted when tempted is an excellent choice.

-Pray that promise as a family to close your devotional time and ask God to help you think about and pray it again when tempted this week.