Tuesday, February 20, 2024
The secret to learning how to dream stems from the innocence of children. They paint the sky with wonder as they seek a trajectory of endless possibilities, only stopping when the rules keep them in place. But even then, kids don't always realize the rules may be there to protect them. Left unchecked, the inexperience and uninhibited pride of youth can eventually lead to adults who believe they’re larger than life.
Who is there to turn to for those who place themselves on a pedestal? Those boundless actions show God is the farthest thing from a person’s mind, and the inevitable fall could be costly.
Yesterday’s devotion shared scripture about those who built the Tower of Babel. The human potential for doing remarkable things is fantastic, but accomplishing the unimaginable without God leading the way sets us up for failure. God knew this from the beginning, so he intervened.
Genesis 11:5-8
5 But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. 6 … “After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! 7 Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”
8 In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city.
God created other languages when he scattered people across the world. The totality of the approach seemed severe, but C.S. Lewis called it a severe mercy. God did something drastic to help his children reevaluate what was important.
We are uniquely created, but when we are prideful and put our trust only in ourselves, we build a life that leads us away from God. That can eventually cause us to suffer alone, reinforcing a mindset that life is cruel. It allows nightmares to fester where pain replaces our desire to grow. It’s severe—everything God wants to protect us from.
Severe mercy is God’s way of building trust. It provides a light to seek him in the dark. His goodness and mercy teach us that while life can be cruel, God isn’t.
Questions:
Do you recall times when God has used situations to protect you from yourself? What happens when you attempt to do everything on your own?
Next Steps:
Start and end your day in prayer to help strengthen your relationship with God. Study and memorize scripture to see where God has your back. John 15:5 and Philippians 4:13 are great places to start.
Prayer:
Father God, thank you for sending Jesus, who suffered for all of us. It’s an undeserving sacrifice that demonstrates your love. It teaches me that suffering is a part of life, and your severe mercy is a crutch to hold me up in my time of need. I will forever need you, and that is a grace I am thankful for. Amen.
Series Theme Verse:
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
This post was written by Jaron Camp, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.