What a profound mystery the gospel is! Who could imagine that the God that made heaven and earth, that rules over all, that has all power at His disposal, could ever be in a state of helplessness? Yet this is the great truth of the gospel. God, the Son, became man and died, shed His own blood to purchase His people - His dove (Acts 20:28).

Though He was God manifested in the flesh, He emptied Himself, eclipsed His glory, and became poor for us (II Cor. 8:9). He gave up all His rights, not only as God, but as man also. He allowed Himself to be harmless, and helpless so that He could suffer and die to save us from our sin. He could have called down legions of angels to fight for Him, but He would be harmless as a dove (Mat. 26:53). Oh, what love is this!

Helplessness is one of the things that human beings fight against above all others. Even as Christians, how hard it is for us to give up our self-confidence and good opinion of ourselves. Only the Lord can accomplish this in us so that we can be true to our name - His dove. 

Doves are harmless and helpless as far as giving themselves life or sustaining it. 

They cannot make food for themselves, or grow it. They are completely dependent on their God and very content to be that way. We on the other hand think we can take care of ourselves, feed ourselves, grow our own food, make our clothes, and build our own houses; we begin to think that we can do it all; we have no need of God. We are strong; we are able; we will fight, and most of us do, with the weapon that no man can tame - the tongue (Jas. 3:7). So God in His mercy, and by His grace, must make us poor; poor in the good opinion of what we are and can do; poor as a dove, so that we can offer up ourselves as a living sacrifice to Him and be acceptable to Him. (Two doves were the offering to God for those that were poor. One was for the burnt offering, and the other for the sin offering Lev. 12:8, Lk. 2:24).

Oh, may we see the glory of the Lord’s harmlessness and helplessness and desire to be more like Him.

Oh Lord, make us harmless and helpless, for we are only strong when we are weak and without self-confidence (II Cor. 12:10, Phil. 3:3). Help us to realize, daily, our lack of strength and our necessity of Your power and grace to do your will.

Make us unable to kill and to wound with our fiery weapon - the tongue (Prov. 18:8, 21). Forgive us for making Your word a lie so many times by our actions. Heal us from this deadly evil and make us true to our name - My Dove (Matt. 10:16). Then not only our wings will be choice silver, but our tongue as well (Psa. 68:13, Prov. 10:20)