Remembering Our Way Forward

Date: Saturday, July 18, 2026

Today in Church History: On July 18, 1870, the First Vatican Council officially promulgated the dogmatic constitution Pastor Aeternus, defining the Roman Catholic dogma of papal infallibility, affirming that when the Pope speaks ex cathedra to define a doctrine on faith or morals for the universal Church, he is preserved from error by divine assistance. This landmark proclamation proved to be a watershed moment in modern church history, reshaping Catholic ecclesiology and authority for generations to come. This fairly recent "authority" has only been exercised once. In 1950, Pope Pius XII decreed as a divinely revealed dogma that Mary, "having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory" thereby establishing the dogma of the Assumption of Mary.

Readings: Nehemiah 9-10 | Psalm 17

Nehemiah 9 contains one of the longest prayers in Scripture, and it’s essentially a guided tour through Israel’s history: creation, Abraham, the Exodus, the wilderness, the land, and repeated cycles of rebellion, return, and rescue. What’s striking is the refrain: even when the people were “stiff-necked” and unfaithful, God remained “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Nehemiah 9:17). The prayer doesn’t end in despair over human failure; it ends in covenant renewal, because remembering God’s character produces hope, not guilt.

This is a pattern worth borrowing. When we’re tempted to spiral into guilt over our own faults, the biblical move isn’t to grit our teeth and try harder; it’s to rehearse who God has actually been to us so far. That remembering is what steadies Psalm 17’s confident plea to be kept “as the apple of your eye” (17:8). The psalmist can ask boldly because he knows the character of the One he’s asking.

Devotional Prompts:

What has God’s faithfulness looked like across your own history, even amid your inconsistency?
How might remembering God’s character change the way you pray today?

Prayer: Gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and rich in steadfast love, thank You for a faithfulness that outlasts our failures. Renew our hearts today as You renewed Your people long ago. Amen.