Saturday, February 21, 2026
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Ephesians 6, Philippians 1
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 22
Devotional Thought
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians ends with a call to stand. Not to stand casually, but to put on the whole armour of God—truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the sword of the Spirit—because the struggle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers. Then, almost as if turning the page, Philippians opens with Paul in chains, yet rejoicing. The man who tells us to stand is himself standing, not in his own strength, but in the confidence that “he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” And behind both letters stands Psalm 22, the psalm Jesus quoted from the cross: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Here is the rawest cry of forsakenness in all Scripture, yet it turns, mid-psalm, into praise: “I will declare thy name unto my brethren.” The forsaken one becomes the praising one, and the deliverance he receives becomes the deliverance he announces.
What does this ask of us today, in late February, when winter has worn long and the soul can feel poured out like water? It asks us to be honest. Psalm 22 does not pretend. It names the bulls of Bashan, the dogs, the pierced hands and feet, the mocking crowd shaking their heads. The psalmist does not tidy up his anguish before bringing it to God. And yet, in the same breath, he remembers: “Thou art he that took me out of the womb.” Faith does not require us to deny the darkness. It requires us to cry into it, and to keep crying until the cry becomes a song.
Paul knew this. Writing to the Philippians, he does not say his circumstances improved; he says his bonds “have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.” The armour of God is not a promise that no arrows will fly. It is the promise that we will still be standing when they land. The shield of faith quenches the fiery darts, but the darts are real. The helmet of salvation guards the mind, but the mind still feels the assault.
And notice where Psalm 22 lands: “The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him.” Not the strong, not the victorious, not the ones who never doubted—the meek, the seekers. This Saturday, whatever has you feeling like a worm and no man, bring it. The God who heard the psalmist from the horns of the unicorns will hear you. And the One who cried “why hast thou forsaken me” has already gone ahead of you into the dark, so that you would never be truly alone there.
Reflection
- Where in your life right now do you need to stop pretending and cry out honestly to God, as Psalm 22 does, rather than waiting until you feel strong enough to pray?
- Paul rejoiced in chains and told the Ephesians to stand in armour—what would it look like for you to put on one specific piece of that armour today, rather than trying to stand in your own strength?
Prayer
Father, you are holy, and yet you do not despise the affliction of the afflicted. You heard your Son when he cried from the cross, and you have not hidden your face from us. We come today with our own cries—some loud, some barely whispered. Be not far from us, for trouble is near. Clothe us with your whole armour: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and your Word. When we feel poured out like water, remind us that you took us from the womb and have been our God from the beginning. Turn our mourning into praise, and let us declare your name among your people. In the name of Jesus, who stood and stands for us. Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 22:1 — “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?”