The Upper Room Daily Devotional from The United Methodist Church of Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Thursday, 23 November 2017 "Thank You" by Irene Rodriguez (La Paz, Bolivia) - Psalm 34:17-23
-------
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2017
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged, for the Lord your
God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9 (NIV))
From a young age I was taught by my parents to say “please” and “thank you.” When I was ten years old my mother died, and my grief was profound. Her death left a vast emptiness in my heart, and at that age I simply could not comprehend it all. I wondered: How will I talk to God about this? I had been taught to always thank God, but should I thank God for this?
What I have learned is that from the moment we begin to pray, God provides the strength and the words we need. God knows our needs even when we cannot put them into words.
With the passing of time, I have become thankful for what God has given me each day. Through blessings and problems, God has helped me to remain anchored in faith, trusting that God will be with me. As we pray with confidence through times of deepest grief or pain, God will sustain us and lead us forward.
From a young age I was taught by my parents to say “please” and “thank you.” When I was ten years old my mother died, and my grief was profound. Her death left a vast emptiness in my heart, and at that age I simply could not comprehend it all. I wondered: How will I talk to God about this? I had been taught to always thank God, but should I thank God for this?
What I have learned is that from the moment we begin to pray, God provides the strength and the words we need. God knows our needs even when we cannot put them into words.
With the passing of time, I have become thankful for what God has given me each day. Through blessings and problems, God has helped me to remain anchored in faith, trusting that God will be with me. As we pray with confidence through times of deepest grief or pain, God will sustain us and lead us forward.
TODAY'S PRAYER:
* * *
Psalm 34:17 (16) But the face of Adonai opposes those who do evil,
to cut off all memory of them from the earth.
18 (17) [The righteous] cried out, and Adonai heard,
and he saved them from all their troubles.
19 (18) Adonai is near those with broken hearts;
he saves those whose spirit is crushed.
20 (19) The righteous person suffers many evils,
but Adonai rescues him out of them all.
21 (20) He protects all his bones;
not one of them gets broken.
22 (21) Evil will kill the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
23 (22) But Adonai redeems his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
---
I can rest assured that God’s love will sustain me.
Someone grieving the death of a parent
The Upper Room®
Copyright © The Upper Room 2017, All rights reserved.
Header Photo Credit: "Harvested Land," Beth Shumate. August 15, 2014. (link)
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment