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The Daily Devotional
Thursday, February 12, 2026
The Orbit of Truth: Courage, Science, and a Gentle Spirit
“It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” — Proverbs 25:2
Introduction
There is a profound invitation in Scripture to be people of curiosity and integrity. God is not honored by willful ignorance, nor is He threatened by the honest study of His creation. Instead, we are called to a courageous faith that loves the truth—both spiritual and physical—and seeks it out with a steady hand. This journey requires us to trust that whatever is true ultimately points back to the Creator, even when the process of discovery challenges our comfort or traditions.
Reflection
We often speak of the "Book of Scripture" and the "Book of Nature." Because both originate from the same Divine Author, they cannot, in their truest sense, contradict one another. Truth, regardless of where it is found—under a microscope, in a history book, or in the Gospels—is God’s truth. Therefore, the Christian has no reason to fear science or inquiry; rather, we should lead the way in loving reality, for reality is the theater of God's glory.
History, however, shows us that sticking to the truth is rarely easy when it disrupts power or comfort. On February 13, 1633, Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome to face the Inquisition for asserting the Earth revolves around the Sun, and centuries later, on February 13, 1974, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a Russian novelist and historian, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1970, was expelled from the Soviet Union for exposing the reality of the Gulag prison system. These events remind us that aligning oneself with reality—whether in the motions of the heavens or the moral failures of a regime—often comes with a high cost.
Yet, the Christian call is not just to be right; it is to be righteous in our "rightness." We can look at a simple illustration from the construction site. Imagine a master carpenter framing a house. He relies on a spirit level to ensure the walls are straight. If the bubble in the vial shows the wall is crooked, the carpenter doesn't get angry at the level, nor does he smash it for delivering bad news. He aligns his work to the standard. In the same way, science and history provide us with "levels"—tools to diagnose reality. When the facts challenge us, our role is to adjust with humility, not to attack the tool or the messenger.
Galileo and Solzhenitsyn faced immense pressure, yet their legacies teach us that truth is durable. For us, the challenge is to hold to the truth with a heart free of bitterness. We must be people who can say, "This is what is real," without looking down on those who are not yet ready to see it.
Application
To walk in truth and love today, consider these challenges:
Honor the Work of Discovery: Take a moment to learn something new about the natural world today—read an article about astronomy, biology, or engineering. Thank God for the minds He has gifted to "search things out."
Check Your "Level": When you encounter information that contradicts your preference or opinion, pause. Ask yourself: "Am I resisting this because it is false, or because it is uncomfortable?"
Speak without Venom: If you must correct a misconception or speak a hard truth today, do it without a spirit of triumph. Truth spoken with arrogance often drives people away from the very reality you want them to see.
Conclusion
God is the architect of the universe; He is not intimidated by our telescopes, our vaccines, or our geological surveys. Faith does not require us to retreat from intellectual rigor, but to engage it with wonder. Let us be disciples who seek truth fearlessly and speak it gently, trusting that the God of the stars is also the God of our hearts.
Prayer
Creator of all things, we thank You for the vastness of the universe and the intricacy of the atom, all of which testify to Your glory. We pray today for those working in science, medicine, and research; grant them wisdom and integrity as they uncover the mysteries of Your creation. Give us the courage to love the truth even when it is costly, and the grace to speak it without cynicism or bitterness. May our pursuit of knowledge always lead us back to a posture of humility and worship. Amen.
Devotional by: Kenny Sallee, ThM — Deming, NM, USA
The Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyright © 1989, 1993, the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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