The Upper Room Daily Devotional Nashville, Tennessee, United States “Abandoned but Not Hopeless” for Friday, 9 January 2015 - Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:5-15

The Upper Room Daily Devotional Nashville, Tennessee, United States “Abandoned but Not Hopeless” for Friday, 9 January 2015 - Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.
7-12 If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!
13-15 We’re not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, “I believed it, so I said it,” we say what we believe. And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. Every detail works to your advantage and to God’s glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise!
The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow.[Psalm 146:9 (NIV)]
“What can I do? My father left us at the beginning of the year. We have not seen or heard from him since!” Mandy is only 11 and her words touched me deeply. My own father was not absent, but he was emotionally distant. He was a good provider, but wartime experiences and his own troubled childhood made him withdrawn in his relationships with his children. Somehow we always knew he loved us, but this did not stop me from asking the same question that Mandy asked, What can I do?
My talking with Mandy seemed to help her. I encouraged her to focus on the lives of those around her. She began to shower love on her mother and her young siblings. Then, when the time was right, we spoke about God’s love, a Father’s love that never fails.
I don’t know what the future holds for Mandy. I only know that listening to her helped. Gentle direction helped. Leading her to focus on God’s love helped. I believe God is moving in her life. She is less stressed, and she prays for her family and her dad. She tells me that she now feels she is indeed doing something!
The Author: Faye Roots (Queensland, Australia)
Thought for the Day: Focusing on God’s love can bring comfort and hope to me and to others.
Prayer: Dear Father God, open our ears and hearts to know the hurts of others. Give us wisdom to speak and act in helpful ways. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayer focus: Children missing their fathers
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