TUESDAY

Luke 5:1-11

As you look at today’s passage, your invitation is to reflect on this question: “So what is it that brings us to our knees?” The imagery of being overwhelmed, giving up, realizing that we are out of our element, or that we have been “bested,” can be the kinds of things that get us there. But not all experiences are like that. On the one hand, these things can happen in a way that makes us feel beaten down, brutalized, and very aware of what we lack—often in an atmosphere of shame and condemnation. This is the kind of knee-bowing you might see after an overwhelming and perhaps brutal show of force, as a defeated enemy bows before a conquering power. It is a response driven by humiliation, fear, and resignation. But there is a different kind of bowing—one that has a lot to do with the character of the King before whom you take the knee. This kind of bowing is not about humiliation, but humility; not about a sense of condemnation being pressed upon us, but a sense of grace being offered to us despite our flaws. It is not the result of brutal punishing force directed against us, but of an amazing love extended toward us. It is not about being beaten into submission, but rather an offering of service in response to the grace that has been extended. It is not rooted in fear and anxiety, but motivated by gratitude and a deep appreciation for the love we have generously received. While in the recognition of our own flaws, we might speak words of self-condemnation, but the One we bow before responds with words of reassurance, grace, and invitation. While we might be singing, “that saved a wretch like me,” thinking that it was grace that taught our hearts to fear, Jesus gently reminds us that grace does not work like that (even if the lyrics to our songs sometimes do), and that it is grace that relieves our fears.

Jesus says to the kneeling Simon, “Don’t be afraid” (vs 10). Jesus reminds us that we don’t need to make God in the image of the gods, but rather to let Jesus reveal what God is truly like.

• How does our response to those moments when we realize we are in the presence of God change depending on how we understand the kind of God whose presence we are in?

• As you think about your own response(s) to God during those moments when you experience the kind of self-awareness that Peter was grappling with, do you tend to feel more humiliation than humility, or more condemnation than invitation? If so, why do you think that is? If not, why do you think that is?

• What kind of king do you think Jesus most wants you to picture him as? What might you alter about your default picture to bring it more in line with the one Jesus reflects?

• What might be different about today, or the rest of this week (or even longer) if you were to fully embrace Jesus as king in the way he portrays what that means?

Take a few moments to share with God what is on your heart in prayer.