Daily Christian Devotional

15 January, 2026

1 Samuel 4.1-11, Psalm 44.10-15, 24-25, Mark 1.40-end

In 1 Samuel 4, Israel carries the ark of the covenant into battle, confident that the symbol of God’s presence will guarantee victory. Yet they are defeated, and the ark is captured. The story is unsettling, because it exposes a hard truth: holy things cannot be used to control God. Faith collapses when trust is replaced by presumption. God desires hearts that listen and obey, not rituals used as insurance against loss.

Psalm 44 gives voice to the aftermath of such defeat. The psalmist does not hide shame or confusion but brings them honestly before God. “Why do you hide your face?” This prayer refuses easy answers. Even in failure, Israel turns toward God, trusting that lament itself is an act of faith.

In Mark’s Gospel, a leper approaches Jesus with humility, not presumption: “If you choose, you can make me clean.” He does not demand; he trusts. Jesus responds with compassion, touching the untouchable and restoring him to life and community. Here is true power—not manipulated, but freely given in mercy.

These readings call us away from treating faith as a safeguard and toward a living trust in God’s presence. God is not contained by objects or formulas, but meets us where humility, honesty, and faith are found.

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Prayer

Living God,
forgive us when we trust in symbols
instead of trusting in you.
Meet us in our failures and our questions,
and teach us true humility.
Touch us where we are wounded,
cleanse us by your mercy,
and restore us by your grace,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.