An Ash Wednesday Prayer With Reflection Prompts
Share
Ash Wednesday is a holy day that signifies the beginning of Lent. It marks the entry into a season of spiritual preparation for Holy Week, which culminates in Easter. Any march toward the redeeming work of Christ must begin with a recognition of our need for his grace—and that reminder is Ash Wednesday. The day affirms that we are dust, as ashes are literally spread in a cross on our foreheads. The cross represents Jesus and how he has redeemed us. We are encouraged to seek repentance with humble hearts and prepare for his gift.
While Ash Wednesday isn’t mentioned in the Bible, Scripture does testify to the practice of repenting in dust and ashes. The ashes for Ash Wednesday are typically provided by burning the palms from Palm Sunday of the year prior. Christians in the early church were sprinkled with ashes during Lent; however, it wasn’t until the Middle Ages that the church began the Ash Wednesday practice of marking foreheads.
Download your FREE copy of our 40-Day Lent and Easter Devotional - filled with daily Scriptures, reflections, and prayers for the Lent season.
A Prayer for Ash Wednesday
This prayer draws from the Ash Wednesday chapel service in my chaplain days. I am indebted to Chaplain Nancy Waite and Evanston Northwestern Hospital for their mentorship. I invite you to pray this prayer with me as we step into Lent:
Merciful God, you called us forth from the dust of the earth; you claimed us for Christ in the waters of baptism. Look upon us as we enter these Forty Days bearing the mark of ashes, and bless the journey through the desert of Lent to the font of rebirth. As we remember our mortality and seek penitence today, we know you to be a God who is rich in forgiveness and abounding in steadfast love, love that culminates in eternal life with you. Guide our steps this Lent, so that we might find greater fulfillment in your promises and better serve others with a heart that’s reflective of you. Amen.
Some churches will still be celebrating Ash Wednesday but may be doing so remotely this year due to the pandemic. My church will distribute small bags of ashes with a prayer and instructions for ash disposition. Participants will be praying the prayer above, and then they will say this line as they make the sign of the cross on their forehead or that of a loved one: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19).
The chapel service for Ash Wednesday was our most well-attended service of the year when I worked as a hospital chaplain. Maybe it was because there are everyday reminders of life and death at a hospital. The healthcare workers who came for the mark of ashes knew well the miracle and frailty of life. The visitors who came perhaps wanted a taste of a familiar ritual as they maneuvered the unexpected or difficult within the hospital walls.
Despite this reasoning, its popularity still struck me as odd as a young chaplain. I had noticed that our society is often “allergic” to death: People don’t like talking about it, there is a cult of youth in culture, and it’s often tempting to make decisions that do not take our finitude into account. Yet, one function of Ash Wednesday is to remind us of the frailty of the human condition in a most basic way: We are dust, and to dust we will return (Genesis 3:19).
Further, I found it interesting that the sign of ashes was the most requested part of the service. Busy healthcare workers would not leave without the ashy cross. In a society where faith sometimes felt like an unwelcome advance in everyday conversation, I marveled at how people craved this public acknowledgment of their faith. They wanted to be set apart—to be visibly marked. There was comfort in the ritual because it proclaimed the majesty of our Creator and the saving work of our Lord right where it was needed most.
Bible Verses for Ash Wednesday
Genesis 3:19 is one of many Scripture passages fitting for meditation on Ash Wednesday. I encourage you to read these others too:
Daniel 9:3 “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.”
Job 42:5-6 “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
Mark 1:15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!"
Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
2 Corinthians 5-6 “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”
Psalm 103:8-14 “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”
Additional/Longer Readings:
Lenten Preparation and Reflection
While these Scripture passages are meaningful on Ash Wednesday, they can also be used to spur reflection during the entire forty-day Lenten period. I invite you to also use these starters for reflection and prayer to enrich your preparation:
- I ask Jesus to free me from my sin of...
- I shine my light before others at home or at work by...
- I dedicate my life to service and healing by...
- I consider my own mortality and its gift by…
The latter is especially powerful.
While death isn’t usually an easy subject to broach, it is a fact of life. Recognizing life’s gift allows us to value each day and live it to the fullest. Ash Wednesday helps us do just that. We recognize our mortality while simultaneously proclaiming all that God has done, which propels us to embrace this life and the one to come. May the peace of Christ meet you exactly where 2023 finds you and bless you abundantly with his grace as we journey toward Easter!
More Ash Wednesday Prayers
A Lenten Prayer to Bring Beauty from Ashes
Dear God, In this season of Lent we’re reminded of our own difficulties and struggles. Sometimes the way has seemed too dark. Sometimes we feel like our lives have been marked by such grief and pain, we don’t see how our circumstances can ever change. But in the midst of our weakness, we ask that you would be strong on our behalf. Lord, rise up within us, let your Spirit shine out of every broken place we’ve walked through. Allow your power to be manifest through our own weakness, so that others will recognize it is You who is at work on our behalf. We ask that you would trade the ashes of our lives for the beauty of your Presence.
Trade our mourning and grief for the oil of joy and gladness from your Spirit. Trade our despair for hope and praise. We choose to give you thanks today and believe that this season of darkness will fade away. Thank you that you are with us in whatever we face, and that you are greater than this trial. We know and recognize that you are Sovereign, we thank you for the victory that is ours because of Christ Jesus, and we are confident that you have good still in store for our future. We thank you that you are at work right now, trading our ashes for greater beauty. We praise you, for you make all things new.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Debbie McDaniel)
A Prayer to Know God
Dear Father, I am longing to experience a fresh knowledge of You this Easter. You have given up everything for me in offering your Son as payment for my sins. Show me if there is something I can offer You--something I like--that would cause me to bow more deeply at Your throne this season. In the Name of the One who loves me so, Christ Jesus, Amen. (Rebecca Ingham Powell)
A Lenten Prayer
Lighter of lights – illumine us
Fire of fires – thaw us
Power of powers – strengthen us
Lover of lovers – warm us
Teller of tales – encourage us
Destroyer of darkness – save us
Touchstone of truth – examine us
Summoner of stars – amaze us
Wellspring of wisdom – weather us
Water of life – refresh us
Dancer of days – delight in us
Breath of the universe – bless us - Ruth Burgess
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Coompia77
This article is part of our prayer resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.
Prayers for Healing That Bring Daily Strength and Comfort
Prayers for Strength to Use in Difficult Times
Can We Really Pray Without Ceasing?
Powerful Morning Prayers to Begin Your Day
Types of Prayers We See in the Bible
What Is the Prayer of Jabez in the Bible?
How to Pray for Your Daily Bread
Prayers for Anxiousness
Now available is our new Daily Prayer devotional! An easy way to start your day with prayer: read today’s prayer and sign up to receive it by email.
