Daily Devotion

Saturday, February 14, 2026  

Today's Scripture
2 Peter 1:16–21

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (NRSV)

Peter, the rock on whom Christ builds his church, is also an evangelist. In this passage, Peter, the fisherman, makes his case for the power and return of Jesus Christ in the most direct and powerful ways he knows. He presents three “proof” sources.

He first bases his evidence on eyewitness testimony. Peter along with James and John were witnesses to the Transfiguration, where God declared, “This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.” Perhaps Peter had a sense of the law enforcement axiom that eyewitness testimony can be less than perfect and/or hard to believe.

In any event, he turns to pure prophetic word as more compelling than what he saw or heard. He describes the prophetic word as “a lamp shining in a dark place.” That is a marvelous analogy for enlightenment. We turn to that lamp in our own growth in faith, as we seek prophetic word in scripture. We can also find that prophetic word closer to home and now. There are prophets among us in writings, sermons, and testimony. A pastor search I was once involved with included prophetic sermons as one of the search criteria.

Finally, Peter brings the expostulation to a close with his ultimate and irrefutable claim. “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (English Standard Version).

The Holy Spirit leads us and supports us as we grow in faith. Peter saw the Holy Spirit operating in real time at Pentecost. My wife and I had an interesting encounter with Peter’s evangelism. In Israel, we met a Palestinian Christian. I asked him when his family became Christians. He responded: at Pentecost.

Prayer

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

St. Patrick (372–466)

Reflection written by Blake Anderson, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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