Day 115

Judges 18–19 | Acts 12 | Psalm 49

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There are some passages in Scripture you can’t unsee.

Judges 19 is one of them.

A nameless woman.

A horrifying night.

A nation so far from God they don’t even flinch.

It’s not just a story of evil.

It’s a story of apathy.

A Levite gives her up. A city abuses her. A man dismembers her.

And no one stops it.

Because “in those days, there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)

But the real horror?

No one seemed shocked.

What Happens When We Get Numb

That line—“everyone did what was right in his own eyes”—wasn’t about rebellion. It was about relativism.

No one called sin what it was.

No one called others to repent.

No one saw the rot setting in—until it was too late.

And that’s what frightens me most.

Not just that evil exists—but that it blends in. That I can scroll past suffering without even thinking to pray. That I can excuse my anger, justify my pride, and downplay my laziness… and not even flinch.

Because it feels normal.

Judges 19 isn’t just an ancient tragedy.

It’s a warning: Don’t lose your shock.

The Kind of World That Needs Rescue

Then Acts 12.

Peter is in prison.

James has already been killed.

Herod is playing politics with blood.

And it looks like evil wins again.

But while Peter sleeps, “earnest prayer” rises.

Chains fall.

A gate opens.

And a man walks free—because the God who sees still saves.

The contrast couldn’t be sharper.

In Judges, evil walks unchallenged.

In Acts, prayer rises like defiance.

Same world. Same darkness.

But one has a people crying out.

The other has a people too numb to notice.

Psalm 49 and the Illusion of Control

Psalm 49 reminds me that I’m not above any of this.

“Man in his pomp will not remain… Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol.” (Psalm 49:12,14)

When I start thinking I’m strong, moral, or insulated—Psalm 49 dismantles that.

Death still comes.

Money won’t save me.

Self-made righteousness can’t redeem me.

There is only one hope:

“But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me.” (Psalm 49:15)

When I Forget to Be Shocked

I’ll be honest—there are days I read the news and just shrug.

Another shooting. Another scandal. Another war. Another lie.

And then I read Judges 19 and realize: That’s how a culture falls.

Not with a sudden collapse, but with slow erosion.

When evil no longer surprises us.

When we stop grieving what grieves God.

So I’m asking today:

Where have I stopped flinching?

Where have I grown numb?

Where has “right in my own eyes” become enough for me?

And more importantly: Where have I stopped praying for chains to fall?

Because the God who rescued Peter is still on the throne.

Still hearing.

Still saving.

Still calling His people to wake up and cry out.

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Lord, help me not to grow numb. Don’t let the evil around me—or in me—become normal. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Let me mourn over sin, and cry out for justice. And when the world feels too dark to hope, remind me: You still break chains. You still move. And You still reign.

Amen.