October 21, 2025 Devo

A few years ago, a man came home to find two other men burglarizing his house. When the burglars saw him, they took off out the back door. The homeowner gave chase, catching the slower of the two in his back yard. That burglar then pulled a knife and tried to stab him. The homeowner overpowered the burglar by pushing him into his pool. The burglar screamed for help because he couldn’t swim. The man jumped in the pool, pulled the burglar to the side, and helped him out.
The burglar then rewarded the man’s heroism by trying to stab him again! The homeowner simply knocked the burglar back into the pool a second time. The burglar again screamed for help, but this time the homeowner made him throw his knife out first. He then jumped back in the pool, rescued the burglar a second time, and called the police. It was the triumph of grace over the ignorant and ungrateful. And it’s the kind of grace we ALL need once in a while!
Our psalm today tells of how God’s grace reaches out again and again to His people, even when they’re acting in less than intelligent ways. God saved His people repeatedly, yet they continued to disobey Him and got themselves into all kinds of trouble. But “even so, He saved them.” What a beautiful statement. I’ve needed that “even so” grace before. How about you? God, out of His mercy and love for us, still gives it. He knows how weak we are. He knows how dumb we can be. He knows that sometimes we just have to learn the hard way. But He never gives up, never turns His back, and never walks away. Oh, He may knock us in the pool a few times and let us flounder. He may let us gasp for air and even swallow a bit of the mess we’ve made until we’re desperate enough to admit our stupidity. But when we finally come to our senses and cry out for His help, He hears us. He reaches out His hand of mercy to us and pulls us out. Yes, there may still be consequences for our actions, just as the burglar went to jail despite the man’s rescuing grace. But what God does offer us is forgiveness and another chance.
So if you find yourself today having blown it YET AGAIN, don’t be afraid to call out to the Lord. Even if this is the umpteenth time you’ve messed up, and you feel as if you’re drowning in your failure, God’s there. His “even so” grace is still available. That’s God’s Word for you today.