Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“The earth lies polluted
under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed laws,
violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth dwindled,
and few people are left.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, November 19, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
We do it to ourselves. So many people lament “Where are you, God?” when our world is a mess. But we’re the ones who made the mess. Is it okay to act horribly toward our fellow human beings in the pursuit of wealth and material comfort and the illusion of security, and then complain to God when our society breaks down? It’s as if a kid completely trashes their room and then insists their mom should clean it up because they can’t find anything.
I’m not saying God is just standing by going, “Figure it out,” as if she doesn’t care. God grieves so deeply for each of us for the problems we’ve created for ourselves, others, and all of creation. God holds us in our anger and confusion. And God inspires us to take action to make right what we have made wrong. There is so much work to do, and while God will be right there in whatever work we do, the fact remains that it’s our work.
What work am I doing to address the challenges of this world?
![1 Kings 17:1-16 [17-24], God’s Care for the Widow](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b39b61ab48de92d991a40a/bf37035e-33d5-439f-a0d6-a68b02d0f1bc/24-11-03.jpg)
