The Curious Pilgrim — Daily Office Reflection
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Psalm 105 | 2 Samuel 15:1–18 | Acts 21:27–36 | Mark 10:32–45
“He is the Lord our God; his judgments prevail in all the world.” — Psalm 105:7
God gives us the freedom to make choices.
Yesterday’s readings reminded us that God’s grace invites us, God’s love surrounds us, but God does not make our choices for us.
Today we encounter the other side of that truth.
Sometimes our lives are changed by choices we did not make.
David certainly understands this.
Absalom has returned to Jerusalem, but the brokenness in David’s family has not disappeared. Now Absalom begins plotting against his father.
He positions himself where people come seeking judgment from King David. He stops them and listens to their complaints. Then he tells them that their claims are good and right, but there is no one appointed by the king to hear them.
Then Absalom tells them what they want to hear:
If only he were judge, everyone would receive justice.
Slowly, Absalom wins the hearts of the people.
Then he asks David for permission to travel to Hebron, supposedly to fulfill a vow to God.
David allows him to go.
But Absalom has another purpose.
He is preparing a rebellion against his own father.
David has made many choices that contributed to the brokenness within his family. Those choices had consequences.
But Absalom is now making choices of his own.
David cannot choose for him.
Eventually, David will have to live with circumstances created by the choices of his son.
Then we find Paul in Jerusalem.
Paul has already been warned that suffering awaits him there. Now Jews from Asia see him in the temple and stir up the crowd.
They accuse Paul of teaching against the Jewish people, the law, and the temple. They also accuse him of bringing a Gentile into the temple.
But Acts tells us they had only supposed Paul had done this because they had previously seen him in the city with Trophimus, a Gentile.
The crowd seizes Paul.
They drag him from the temple.
They begin beating him.
Roman soldiers arrive and stop the beating, but then Paul is arrested and placed in chains.
Once again, someone is living with the consequences of choices made by other people.
And then Jesus tells his disciples what awaits him in Jerusalem.
He will be handed over.
Condemned.
Mocked.
Beaten.
Killed.
And after three days, he will rise again.
Jesus is talking about suffering.
Then James and John make an extraordinary request.
They want the places of honor beside Jesus in his glory.
Jesus is talking about a cross.
They are thinking about thrones.
They still don’t understand.
Jesus responds by teaching them what greatness looks like in the Kingdom of God:
“Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant.”
The contrast is striking.
Absalom seeks power by manipulating people.
James and John seek positions of honor.
Jesus chooses servanthood.
Absalom essentially asks:
How can I become king?
James and John ask:
Where can we sit when you become king?
Jesus asks something entirely different:
Whom can I serve?
Perhaps that is where today’s readings come together.
God has given us freedom.
I make choices.
You make choices.
The people around us make choices.
Sometimes their choices bless us.
Sometimes their choices hurt us.
Sometimes people misunderstand us.
Sometimes they accuse us falsely.
Sometimes they betray us.
Sometimes they create circumstances we never would have chosen for ourselves.
And sometimes someone else’s choice completely changes the road we thought we were traveling.
God does not promise to prevent that.
God does not promise that following Jesus will protect us from suffering.
But Jesus does promise:
“Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
That changes how I understand God’s presence.
God’s presence does not mean nothing painful will happen to me.
God’s presence means I will never face what happens alone.
That is something this pilgrim continues to learn.
I cannot control every person around me.
I cannot make someone else choose wisely.
I cannot prevent every misunderstanding.
I cannot undo another person’s decision.
And I cannot always choose what happens on the road.
But I can choose how I respond.
I can choose bitterness or grace.
I can choose vengeance or forgiveness.
I can seek power, like Absalom.
I can seek position, like James and John.
Or I can listen again to Jesus:
“Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant.”
Perhaps that is the choice that remains ours even when so many other choices have been taken out of our hands.
We may not choose what happens to us.
But with God’s grace, we can choose how we walk through it.
And wherever that road takes us, we carry this promise:
God is with us.
Always.
Even to the end of the road.
The Curious Pilgrim 
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