Lent 2026:
Enduring Faith
Introduction
The book of James gives us no escape routes. Faith that doesn't show up in our lives isn't faith at all. Love that doesn't get specific isn't love. Wisdom that doesn't reshape how we treat the vulnerable isn't wisdom.
This Lent, we're walking through James together — a letter written to early Christians scattered by persecution, trying to figure out what it meant to follow Jesus when everything was falling apart. James writes to people under pressure, people living under empire, people tempted to survive by compromise. His answer is clear: enduring faith. A resilient faith that trusts God enough to actually live differently, even in the face of trials and suffering.
Over these forty-some days, we'll cycle through James's themes multiple times, letting his words reshape us: trials that grow us, faith that acts, tongues that bless, wisdom from above, humility before God, patience in suffering, prayer that heals. Ours is a faith that has to be lived.
How to use this devotional:
Each day includes Scripture from James, a brief reflection, one concrete practice, and a closing prayer.
The practices are meant to be doable in your actual life—not an ideal one.
Let James’s directness unsettle you. That discomfort is part of the work.
May these forty days shape us into people whose faith shows up.
Day 38: Thursday 4/2
“For this reason, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve.” - James 5:16
Day 37: Wednesday 4/1
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must be patient as you wait for the coming of the Lord.” - James 5:7
Day 36: Tuesday 3/31
“Are any of you wise and understanding? Show that your actions are good with a humble lifestyle that comes from wisdom.” - James 3:13
Day 35: Monday 3/30
“My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy. After all, you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let this endurance complete its work so that you may be fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing.” - James 1:2-4
Palm Sunday (3/29)
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” - James 1:12
Day 34: Saturday 3/28
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” - James 4:10
Day 33: Friday 3/27
“There will be no mercy in judgment for anyone who hasn’t shown mercy. Mercy overrules judgment.” - James 2:13
Day 32: Thursday 3/26
“Those who stand firm during testing are blessed. They are tried and true. They will receive the life God has promised to those who love him as their reward.” - James 1:12
Day 31: Wednesday 3/25
“But anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without a second thought, without keeping score.” - James 1:5
Day 30: Tuesday 3/24
“What of the wisdom from above? First, it is pure, and then peaceful, gentle, obedient, filled with mercy and good actions, fair, and genuine. Those who make peace sow the seeds of justice by their peaceful acts.” - James 3:17-18
Day 29: Monday 3/23
“My brothers and sisters, what good is it if people say they have faith but do nothing to show it?” - James 2:14
Fifth Sunday in Lent (3/22)
“You do well when you really fulfill the royal law found in scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself.” - James 2:8
Day 28: Saturday 3/21
“You must be doers of the word and not only hearers who mislead themselves.” - James 1:22
Day 27: Friday 3/20
“Let this endurance complete its work so that you may be fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing.” - James 1:4
Day 26: Thursday 3/19
“My brothers and sisters, if any of you wander from the truth and someone turns back the wanderer, recognize that whoever brings a sinner back from the wrong path will save them from death and will bring about the forgiveness of many sins.” - James 5:19-20
Day 25: Wednesday 3/18
“The prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve.” - James 5:16
Day 24: Tuesday 3/17
“If any of you are sick, they should call for the elders of the church, and the elders should pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.” - James 5:14
Day 23: Monday 3/16
“If any of you are suffering, they should pray. If any of you are happy, they should sing.” - James 5:13
Fourth Sunday in Lent (3/15)
“Most important, my brothers and sisters, never make a solemn pledge — neither by heaven nor earth, nor by anything else. Instead, speak with a simple “Yes” or “No,” or else you may fall under judgment.” - James 5:12
Day 22: Saturday 3/14
“Don’t complain about each other, brothers and sisters, so that you won’t be judged.” - James 5:9