February 18 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

What a picture! God is having lunch at Abraham's place.

It's almost embarrassing. God is almighty, and before him we must lie in the dust. So we are tempted to say that this is only a picture of God, that God is actually the Holy One, the Creator of the universe, the One who keeps all the planets in their courses.

But we may not spoil this revelation by such an explanation.

A person does not learn to live with God by trying to climb to God's level. That's the devil's road. The God of the Bible has come to our level. Human religion always thinks that we come closer to God when we become less human and more "spiritual." But the God of the Bible bridges the gap by becoming human. "The Word became flesh" (John 1:14). That's the center of the whole story.

The God of heaven and earth walked to the tent of Abraham in the company of two travelers. At Abraham's urgent request, the three men had lunch in the shade of a tree. God was sitting with his back to the door of the tent. Abraham was standing near the table, passing the milk and the meat. Sarah was peeking through the tent flap.

Later God came to us in Jesus Christ. He attended our weddings to make them more joyful, and he changed some funerals into song festivals. And that was not just a picture of God, as some people keep saying. He really came to our side.

We must get rid of the notion that we can speak to God only when we are on the mountaintop or in the cathedral; we must stop thinking that conversation with God is better from such perches. God is in the dining room, at school, at work. And if we have learned to love God's company, every ordinary day is bright.

REFLECTIONS

Where did you see God today?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.