Lenten Reader | Day 1

February 17th, 2026

Voice

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”

And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

John 1:1-13

Our world is filled with competing voices. Learning to discern which voice deserves our full attention has been the task of humanity since the Garden of Eden.
 
God has a voice. At creation, before anyone could hear it, God spoke all things into existence. When God called the father of our faith from his homeland to start a nation, “Abram went, as the LORD had told him …” In the desert, after Moses investigated the strange sight, “God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’” When Samuel was looking to anoint King Saul’s replacement, he patiently waited until he heard from the LORD, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” God’s voice permeates our world and ultimately, as John writes, took on flesh. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
 
So, Mark starts with a voice from heaven heard at Christ’s baptism: “You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” What a compelling affirmation to hear before engaging in public ministry! It is out of this secure identity that Jesus confidently does his work in the world—all the way to the cross.
 
When other voices speak up to distract or pull him away from the will of the Father, it’s the voice from heaven that keeps him faithful. While in the wilderness for forty days, the voice of Satan enticed Jesus to gain the world, but he refused by quoting the Word of God. When confronted by religious leaders, various voices accused him of wrongdoing and sinful behavior. Even his own disciples, at times, tried to persuade him from following the One voice that matters most.
 
The voice of God continues to speak today. Jesus taught, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.” This Lenten season, how can you be sure that you’re listening to one true voice of God? Perhaps, it’s by reading His Word, spending time in prayer, creating opportunities for solitude, or unplugging from your phone.
 
Every movement of God starts with his voice—may this Reader draw us closer to the voice of God. “Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Jon Welch