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The Daily Devotional
Friday, February 20, 2026
The Sacred Orbit: Finding Grace in the Return
“So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9
Introduction
Lent is rarely a season of fireworks. While we often begin with the visible mark of ashes, the days that follow usually fade into the background of daily life. We look for dramatic transformation, but the spiritual life is often less about a single, explosive leap and more about the discipline of staying the course.
We see a powerful image of this kind of steady courage in history. On February 20, 1962, John Glenn climbed into the Friendship 7 capsule. While the launch itself was a fiery spectacle of smoke and speed, the true triumph was the orbit. For nearly five hours, Glenn circled the planet three times. He didn't just leave; he returned, over and over, maintaining his trajectory around the Earth. That mission, a pivotal moment in the Space Race, wasn't just a burst of energy—it was a sustained, calculated act of endurance that expanded the horizons of human exploration.
In our walk with God, we are called to a similar "orbiting faithfulness." We are invited not just to launch into faith, but to circle the center of God's love, returning again and again to the practices that hold us in His gravity.
Reflection
There is a temptation in our spiritual lives to crave the spectacle. We want the "mountaintop experience," the sudden breakthrough, or the immediate answer to prayer. But true faithfulness—the kind that changes us—looks like an orbit. It is the willingness to cover the same ground, to return to the same prayers, and to practice the same patience, even when the scenery doesn't seem to change.
Consider the physical rehabilitation of an injured athlete or a post-surgical patient. The work is agonizingly repetitive. It is not a singular, heroic lift; it is the small, boring orbit of rotating an ankle, stretching a resistance band, or taking one tentative step. To an outsider, it looks like nothing is happening. There is no applause in a physical therapy room, only the quiet grunt of effort. Yet, it is this "orbiting"—this refusal to stop moving—that knits muscle back together and restores the ability to walk.
Lent is our spiritual rehabilitation. It is the time we commit to the small, unseen orbits:
The orbit of restraint: Holding back a harsh word when we are tired.
The orbit of prayer: Returning to God in the morning, even when our minds are scattered.
The orbit of service: Doing the dishes, sending the text, or listening to a friend, not for applause, but because love requires repetition.
John Glenn’s three orbits around the Earth changed the trajectory of history. In the same way, your small, repeated acts of faithfulness are reshaping your soul. They are maintaining your position in God's grace, preventing you from drifting into the dark, and preparing you for a harvest you cannot yet see.
Application
Today, whether you feel like an astronaut looking up at the vastness of the stars or a contemplative looking inward at the state of your heart, this day invites wonder. Don't look for the explosion; look for the "orbit."
Your challenge for the next 24 hours:
Identify one small, repetitive act of faithfulness—your personal orbit. It might be:
Whispering a specific prayer every time you check your phone.
Choosing to listen without interrupting during one conversation.
Performing one hidden act of kindness that no one will ever thank you for.
As you do this, remember that you are part of a larger unfolding story. Notice the small signs—like the first bud on a branch or that single act of kindness—and recognize them as evidence that God is at work in the quiet.
Conclusion
God does not only work through the thunder and the whirlwind; He works most deeply through steady perseverance. Lent trains us for this "quiet faithfulness." It teaches us that the most holy turning points in our lives often happen not when everyone is watching, but when we decide, for the thousandth time, to trust God with the next step. Let your faithfulness be an orbit—steady, returning, and held fast by the gravity of grace.
Prayer
Gracious God, we confess that we often grow weary of the small things. We crave the spectacular and the immediate, forgetting that You are present in the steady and the slow. Grant us the grace today to practice "orbiting faithfulness." When we feel like we are just going in circles, remind us that we are actually circling You—the center of our life and hope. Give us eyes to notice the small buds of new life forming in our hearts and the courage to continue doing good, knowing that in Your time, the harvest will come. 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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