Day 23 – God is big, people are not

“𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭. 𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭.” 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸 10:28 𝘕𝘐𝘝

This is a lesson I’ve tried to teach my children (and myself) over and over: when people loom larger in our minds than God, we become more concerned with appearing inadequate before them than with sinning against God. Fear of people can become a snare, holding us back from fully surrendering to God. As much as I wish I could say I am never shaken by conflict or wounded by rejection, the truth is that I am. Those moments can magnify the actions of others so much that we lose sight of God and focus only on the giant before us.

In today’s verse, Jesus speaks directly to this fear – even if the threat leads to death – and reminds His disciples that such fear should not control them. When God is given His rightful place in our lives, we are freed from the grip of people’s opinions and actions. We are no longer enslaved to fear but released to surrender wholly to Him.

Choosing to honor the Sabbath is one way we practice this surrender. It is a deliberate act of relinquishing control, setting aside our striving, and fixing our gaze on God. In doing so, our focus shifts from the giants we face to the greatness of the One who reigns over every situation. And in that posture, every conflict, rejection, and challenge becomes an opportunity to glorify Him because God is bigger than people.

Prayer: Father, thank You for teaching us that You are big and people are not and that by consistently keeping our focus on You, we grow closer to Your heart and treat people in a way that honors You. Help us during the time we learn how to honor the Sabbath, to understand the equation between humanity and divinity, and that fear of You is not replaceable by fear of men. Amen.