1 Peter 1:12: “To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.”

August 9th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

The apostle Peter tells us that the angels in heaven desire to understand the profound mysteries of the good news, and because of that they carefully observe our conduct on earth. The apostle Paul described the same thing in 1 Corinthians 4:9: “For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.” Peter was reminding the suffering church that grace and the gospel are not new and novel truths, but in fact are truths God has been proclaiming through the prophets for centuries. And angels, since the beginning, have been watching in amazement and will continue to do so right up until the very last moment, when God closes down human history. They are no doubt astounded at the grace God continues to extend to each and every one of us.

Robert Robinson (1735–1790) lived his early life in rebellion and sin, but came to the Lord in his late teens. At the age of 23 he wrote the famous hymn, “Come Thou Fount.” Sadly, he strayed from the Lord and returned to his life of rebellion. Some time later, while traveling by stagecoach, one of his fellow passengers struck up a conversation with him. The passenger, a young woman, asked him what he thought of some lines from a song she was humming. The lines were: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love.” He was instantly convicted and through tears said, “Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then.”¹ We must always remember, no matter how far we have wandered from the God we love, His mercy is still available to us. All we must do is humble ourselves and come before Him in repentance. He will never turn us away but will fully restore us.

“LORD, we too are prone to wander. Please keep us in Your streams of mercy this day.”

¹Kenneth W. Osbeck, 101 Hymn Stories (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1985), p. 52.