Return to God!
By Henry O. Adelegan There are moments when life slows just enough for eternity to whisper into time. Ash Wednesday is one of those sacred moments. It arrives not with
By Henry O. Adelegan
There are moments when life slows just enough for eternity to whisper into time. Ash Wednesday is one of those sacred moments. It arrives not with celebration, but with solemnity; not with noise, but with a holy hush. In a world driven by speed, distraction, and endless ambition, this day stands as a divine interruption—a call from heaven to return.
Ash Wednesday marks beginning of Lent, the 40-day pilgrimage toward Easter. Yet before resurrection joy comes repentance; before victory comes surrender; before glory comes the Cross. On this day, worshippers receive ashes on their foreheads, often traced in the shape of a cross, accompanied by the sobering reminder from Genesis 3:19: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” These words awaken, not shame, confronting us with mortality, frailty, and the truth that we are sustained only by God’s breath.
Ashes in Scripture symbolise repentance and contrition. When Nineveh faced judgement, its king sat in ashes as an outward expression of inward sorrow (Jonah 3:6). Even then, the act was rooted not in despair but in hope—that God’s mercy might triumph over judgment. So too on Ash Wednesday, the cross-shaped ashes frame our mortality in redemption. Our brokenness rests beneath grace.
The season points also to the wilderness where Christ fasted for 40 days (Matthew 4:1–2). Lent mirrors that journey. It strips away excess, confronts temptation, and deepens dependence on God. Fasting is not deprivation for its sake; it is discipline for clarity. It silences competing voices so the voice of God may be heard more clearly, reminding us that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word from the Lord. Paul’s words pierce complacency: “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Ash Wednesday confronts every heart with urgency. Return is not a distant intention—it is a present decision. Will we turn fully, or linger at the edges of surrender?
Joel spoke to a nation in crisis, yet his call speaks across time: “Turn ye even to me with all your heart.” The problem is not only external trouble, but internal drift. God desires hearts stripped of pride, hypocrisy, and half-hearted devotion. “Rend your heart, and not your garments” (Joel 2:13). True return is inward, sincere, and total. King David’s plea echoes this: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Repentance is courageous surrender that invites God to cleanse, restore, and transform.
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Ash Wednesday reminds us that spiritual renewal precedes national renewal. This call to return to God is personal and national. In Nigeria, amid hardship, insecurity, moral decay, and division, true revival begins with individual and collective return to God. When believers align their hearts with His will, the Church shines as the light of the world. Integrity, mercy, and obedience cultivate communities where life is worth living.
Therefore, let the season be more than ritual. Let it be a decisive turning point. Dear beloved, please let us return to God with humility, repentance, and devotion. Let our lives reflect His righteousness. Let the Church rise as a beacon of hope, shaping a Nigeria that thrives under His guidance. Let our obedience, mercy, and integrity transform hearts and communities. I pray Lent will herald a new beginning for us and as a nation in the name of Jesus.
•Lord, turn our hearts back to You and empower us to live in ways that honour You, bring hope to our nation, and make life meaningful for all, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
