For Want of a Nail (Friday Devotional)

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.

- 1 Corinthians 1:27

An old English proverb presents a tale in which the absence of a simple thing—a missing nail in a horseshoe—leads to the fall of a nation:

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a nail.

The story, adapted by everyone from Benjamin Franklin to DC Comics, reminds us of a truth we might otherwise too easily forget: even the most seemingly insignificant details matter. Small things—and people—can make a big impact.

One consistent pattern we find throughout the Bible is God making much of those the world might overlook, the ‘nails’ of this world. From Rahab the prostitute to David the shepherd boy to Ruth the Moabitess all the way to the carpenter’s son from Nazareth who ushered in salvation by dying on a cross, God frequently works in and through the last people from whom you’d expect greatness. When the world’s weak are made strong in the Lord, we learn what real power—God’s power—looks like.

Whether in your workplace, your neighborhood, your church, or even your home, there is someone you tend to discount, someone you don’t take seriously and do take for granted. Today, make a point to show them the kind of grace our Lord does. After all, you never know how important a nail may turn out to be.