Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“When that period was over, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me.
I blessed the Most High,
and praised and honored the one who lives for ever.
For his sovereignty is an everlasting sovereignty,
and his kingdom endures from generation to generation.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, August 15, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
“I get it now!” he seemed to say. It took this period of isolation from the trappings of Babylonian society, of living rough in the world rather than having absolutely everything handed to him all the time, for King Nebuchadnezzar to find God. He’d paid lip service to Daniel’s God already, recognizing that only Daniel’s God had the power and wisdom to solve his most puzzling problems. But he had yet to acknowledge his sin—his complete obsession with self—and the fact that only God could remove it from him. He had to lose himself completely, driven from society and living as a wild animal, in order to find himself. This is such a common theme in all of literature (not just biblical or spiritual) it’s almost too cliché to register. But the reason it’s a cliché is that it is absolutely, completely, fundamentally true. Period. In fact, the only way anyone can really figure out who they are is to be willing to let go of who they think they should be (usually based on who they think other people think they should be). We have to get rid of what doesn’t work in order to create a space for God to come in and show us the truth of who we are: beloved children of God, capable of love and creativity and beauty and self-sacrifice and service and joy. When we come to realize this how can we keep from proclaiming God as Nebuchadnezzar did?
Do I know who I am or am I still searching? Do I have spiritual mentors to help me in this lifelong journey?
