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The Daily Devotional
Monday, February 23, 2026
The Courage of the Long Road
“Do not fear what you are about to suffer… Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” — Revelation 2:10
Introduction
We are now deep enough into the season of Lent that the initial solemnity of Ash Wednesday has likely faded, replaced by the simple, often grueling reality of the "middle." The middle of the fast, the middle of the winter, the middle of our commitments. The spiritual novelty wears off, and we are left with the wilderness.
In the lectionary cycle, this is often where we encounter figures like Elijah in 1 Kings 19, sitting under a broom tree in the desert, exhausted and fearful, telling God, "It is enough." We also encounter the Psalms of honest confession, like Psalm 32, where we admit that hiding our struggles only wastes away our bones.
Today, February 23, the church remembers St. Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna. While he lived centuries ago, his life offers a profound lamp for our Lenten path. He is the patron saint of endurance—not the flashy, momentary kind, but the steady, lifelong kind. On a day when we might feel the weariness of our own spiritual journey, Polycarp reminds us that faithfulness isn't about having a heart of steel; it's about having a heart that has been softened, year after year, by the grace of Jesus.
Reflection
When we think of the "wilderness" of Lent, we often imagine grand battles against temptation. But more often, the wilderness looks like ordinary fatigue. It looks like the temptation to cut a corner because we are tired, to tell a small lie to avoid an awkward conversation, or to nurture a grudge because forgiveness feels too expensive.
This is where the story of Polycarp intersects with our Tuesday morning. Polycarp was an old man, eighty-six years of age, when he was arrested for his faith. The authorities didn't necessarily want to kill him; they just wanted him to compromise. They urged him to perform a small, simple gesture: just pinch a little incense for Caesar. Just say the words. It was a paperwork technicality, a way to save his life and get back to safety.
But Polycarp refused. He wasn't being stubborn for the sake of pride. He was standing on a relationship. His famous reply echoes down through the centuries:
"Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?"
Polycarp didn’t find that courage in the moment he was arrested. He forged it over eighty-six years of waking up, praying, serving his neighbors, and choosing Jesus in the small things. His martyrdom was simply the final "yes" in a life built on thousands of small "yeses."
We are likely not facing a Roman proconsul today. But we are facing the "wilderness" of daily life.
Consider the moment you are on a customer service call. You have been on hold for forty minutes. The music is looping, your patience is fraying, and you have a dozen other things to do. When the representative finally answers, perhaps they are confused or unhelpful.
In that split second, you stand in a spiritual wilderness. The temptation is to use your words as weapons—to demean, to snap, to assert your power. It feels justifiable. It feels like "righteous" anger.
But the Lenten invitation is to pause. It is to remember that the voice on the other end belongs to a person made in the image of God. To choose patience in that moment—to swallow the harsh word and speak with dignity and grace—is a form of dying to self. It is a confession that my time and my frustration are not the center of the universe.
Or perhaps the challenge is silence. Maybe you are in a relationship where you have promised to be more present, but you are exhausted. The temptation is to zone out, to scroll through your phone, to offer the bare minimum. Faithfulness looks like putting the phone down. It looks like the "long obedience" of listening when you want to check out.
Hebrews 2 reminds us that because Christ himself suffered when he was tested, he is able to help those who are being tested. He knows the fatigue of the human road. He knows the feeling of the wilderness.
Polycarp’s witness teaches us that we don’t need to be superheroes. We just need to be faithful today. We don't need to worry about having the strength for the next ten years; we only need the grace for the next ten minutes. Confession clears the air; the bread of life sustains us (just as the angel sustained Elijah); and we take one more step.
Application
Steadfastness is a muscle that we build through repetition. Today, I invite you to make one "faithful choice" that goes against the grain of your fatigue or frustration.
The Challenge: Identify one moment today where you are tempted to take the "easy way out"—whether that is an emotional shortcut (ignoring a problem), an ethical shortcut (fudging the truth), or a relational shortcut (being dismissive).
Stop: Acknowledge the temptation.
Confess: Briefly admit to God, "I want to be selfish right now."
Act: Choose the way of integrity or kindness, even if no one else sees it.
If you are carrying a heavy burden or a secret failure, read Psalm 32 today. Let the relief of confession wash over you. There is no need to hide in the wilderness; God is already there.
Conclusion
Lent is not a performance review where we try to impress God with our stamina. It is a season of return. We return to the truth that we are dust, but we are dust loved by God.
St. Polycarp did not face the fire because he had iron willpower; he faced it because he knew he was loved by a King who had "never did him any injury." If you are feeling the weight of the long road today, know that you do not walk it alone. Christ has walked it before you, and He walks it beside you now. The crown of life is not a prize for those who never struggle, but a gift for those who, when they stumble, get back up and keep walking toward the light.
Prayer
Gracious and sustaining God, we thank You for the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us, and especially today for the memory of Your servant Polycarp. When we feel the weariness of the wilderness and the temptation to give up, remind us of his eighty-six years of faithfulness. We confess that we often fear discomfort more than we fear losing our closeness to You.
Grant us the courage to be faithful in the ordinary moments of this day. When we are tired, be our strength. When we are frustrated, be our patience. When we have failed, be our mercy. Help us to see that every small choice for truth and kindness is a step toward Your Kingdom. Give us the grace to serve You, not out of fear, but out of love for the One who has never failed us.
In the name of Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith, we pray. 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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