Daily devotion – Looking in the mirror
A Cycle of Grace
“Once again the Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight, and the LORD gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel because of their evil. … But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help, the LORD again raised up a rescuer to save them.”
—Judges 3:12, 15
Reading through the Book of Judges, a clear pattern emerges: disobedience, oppression, a cry for help, and God’s deliverance. Again and again, Israel strays from the Lord, suffers the consequences, repents, and is rescued—only to repeat the cycle.
At one point, I found myself shaking my head, wondering, Why did they keep making the same mistake? How foolish!
Then, in a moment of conviction, I sensed the Lord speaking to my heart:
“You are just like them.”
It was a humbling rebuke. How often have I fallen into my own patterns of sin and self-reliance? How often have I neglected the Lord, only to cry out in desperation when trouble comes? That moment changed my perspective. No longer could I view Israel’s failures from an ivory tower.
God’s Word has a way of revealing the hidden places in our hearts. When we read it with humility, it convicts us—not to condemn, but to draw us to repentance.
We must never think we are beyond repentance. Scripture reminds us:
“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
—1 John 1:8-9
The beauty of God’s grace is that He never tires of hearing our cry. Just as He raised up a rescuer for Israel, He has given us the ultimate Savior—Jesus Christ.
Let us walk in humility, ever aware of our need for His mercy.