Here is a devotion to start your day!
Also available now at Power, Love & Miracles:
HIdden Heroes of the Bible: The Empty Tomb. Introduction
Joseph of Arimathea. The Bible Unplugged podcast, episode 71
All Monday devotions include a free audiobook preview.
If this work supports your life, one way to help sustain it is by exploring the complete book, audio companion, and related resources HERE.
Hidden Hero: Ebedmelech
A foreigner who risks his status to rescue God’s prophet
Scripture: Jeremiah 38:6–13; 39:15–18
Ebedmelech … spoke to the king, saying, “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon.
Reflection
Jeremiah is sinking—literally.
Thrown into a muddy cistern for speaking God’s truth, he’s trapped in darkness, waist-deep in sludge, with no way out and no one rushing to help. Most people in the royal court either agree with his punishment or are too afraid to intervene.
Enter Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian servant in the king’s house. He is an outsider in ethnicity, status, and power. Yet when he hears what has been done to Jeremiah, something in him refuses to be silent.
He goes to the king and pleads for Jeremiah’s life. Then he does something tender and practical: he gathers worn-out rags and old clothes to pad the ropes so they won’t cut into the prophet’s arms as they pull him out.
Courage and compassion, side by side.
It’s one thing to feel bad for someone in a pit. It’s another to risk your own position to help pull them out—and to do it gently.
You probably know someone who is “in a cistern” right now: emotionally stuck, spiritually discouraged, buried under grief, anxiety, or shame. Maybe others around them have given up, rolled their eyes, or quietly turned away.
Ebed-Melech’s story invites you to ask: Where might God be asking me to step toward someone who’s been pushed aside? It might mean speaking up for them, checking in, advocating, or simply showing up with practical kindness.
God’s message to Ebed-Melech later is deeply personal: because he trusted in the Lord, he would be protected when judgment came. God saw his courage. God saw his rescue.
Unassuming heroes are often people who slip a rope into dark places and refuse to let go.
Centering Prayer
Lord of Rescue and Righteousness,
You see those who are sinking in hidden pits—discouragement, injustice, and rejection. Open my eyes to notice them. Center my heart in your compassion and courage. Show me how to use what little influence and resources I have to help lift someone up. Let me trust you as I step toward their need. – Amen
Practice for Today
Think of someone who feels “stuck in the mud” right now. Take one concrete step to help: a call, an encouragement, advocacy, or practical support. Let it be your rope and rags for them today.
Journaling Prompt
Who has been an “Ebed-Melech” in my life, helping pull me from a pit? How might I reflect that same courage and kindness toward someone else?
Closing Blessing
Be present in your day noticing those sinking low.
Let compassion move you from bystander to helper.
Use your voice and resources to lift, not to ignore.
Trust that God sees and honors even your quiet rescues.
Pray as You Go
Breathe in: Open my eyes...
Breathe out: ... help me lift the fallen
