The Upper Room Daily Devotional from The United Methodist Church of Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Sunday, 5 November 2017 "We Belong to God" by Glynis M. Belec (Ontario, Canada) - Psalm 147:1-9
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DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2017
As I waited for the worship service to begin one Sunday morning, I unzipped the cover of my Bible. Inside, I found several funeral cards with photos of people I had known who had gone to be with Jesus: the pastor’s son, a neighbor from just down the road, a young woman who had lost her battle with cancer, my younger sister who had died in her sleep, my 36-year-old niece who died suddenly from a heart attack, the 98-year-old woman from our church who said she could not wait to be with her Lord.
As I sat waiting, listening to the soothing music playing prior to the service, I felt an urge to pray. I prayed for the people who had died and gone on to be with God in heaven. I prayed for their families who were left behind to mourn. I prayed for understanding for myself, and then I gave God thanks. I felt great security there in the power and presence of the risen Christ. How good it is to be reminded that God hears our prayers, comforts us in our crises, and never leaves us or forsakes us — in life or in death!
TODAY'S PRAYER:
Heavenly Comforter, thank you for your grace that holds us close when we feel lost and helpless. May we live so that others will know your comfort for themselves. Amen.
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Psalm 147:1 Halleluyah!
How good it is to sing praises to our God!
How sweet, how fitting to praise him!
2 Adonai is rebuilding Yerushalayim,
gathering the dispersed of Isra’el.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines how many stars there are
and calls them all by name.
5 Our Lord is great, his power is vast,
his wisdom beyond all telling.
6 Adonai sustains the humble
but brings the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing to Adonai with thanks,
sing praises on the lyre to our God.
8 He veils the sky with clouds;
he provides the earth with rain;
he makes grass grow on the hills;
9 he gives food to the animals,
even to the young ravens when they cry.
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I am never alone — God is here!
Members of my church who have died this year
READ MORE:
Quiet Treasure BY GLYNIS M. BELEC (ONTARIO, CANADA)
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)
My family laughs at me sometimes, because they know I like to save things. I am by no means a hoarder, though. I only save what is meaningful.
My children are grown, but I still have their school records, crafts, paintings, little notes, photos, cards, gifts, and more. I try to organize my treasures, but admittedly, there are still boxes to sort and to (one day) organize into scrapbooks and shadow boxes.
And then there are my Bible treasures. I have two Bibles. One large study one with the pink case. I usually keep that one at home and then my black-cased smaller one, I take to church. In both I keep more meaningful treasures. Funeral cards tucked inside. Notes and pictures from grandchildren, letters from students, Sunday school papers given to me. Thank you cards, sermon notes, bookmarks, cards of encouragement, student lists for Sunday school, telephone numbers, and yes, many more funeral cards.
I make it a habit Sunday mornings, with my ‘church Bible,’ to go through the items in there, while I wait for the service to start, to think about and to pray for those whose treasure I unearth. Then if I felt I was ready, I would transfer the cards or other items to my pink case when I got home.
A good system. For a while. But soon my lovely pink-zippered Bible case was overflowing. I decided it was time to do something. I had a plan.
People love to give me journals. I love to journal. (I have photo boxes of ‘completed and saved’ journals in my office, but that’s another story!) I rooted through my unused journals and I found one. It was a lovely navy book with a large compass depicted on the front and directly underneath it was a title—Trust Your Navigator—followed by a scripture reference: Jeremiah 29:11. I looked it up. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." It was perfect.
I removed all my treasures from my Bible and case. I placed them carefully into a photo box. Then one by one, as part of my bedtime devotional routine, I would remove one item at a time and then I would write my memory along with a little prayer.
My bedtime ritual became something I anticipated with joy and excitement. God was reminding me of a different kind of treasure. As I scribbled down words in my journal I suddenly became so much more aware of the love God had poured into my life and the people he put in my path. My ‘documenting’ turned into a gratitude journal. And then my gratitude journal turned into a love project that still excites me.
As I looked back, I found affirmation in this entry. My treasure? A little piece of green paper containing a blessing. It had been attached to a prayer shawl that someone made for me:
"During my cancer and subsequent chemotherapy treatments, I received a beautiful prayer shawl. What a quiet privilege it was to receive such a gift. God, thanks for wrapping me in Your love through the kindness and generosity of your servants. May I always be reminded that my plans are not always the same as Yours, but I have great comfort knowing that others are praying for me and You care. May my plans include a way to pass on Your sweet joy."
I am listening, Lord …
The Upper Room®
Copyright © The Upper Room 2017, All rights reserved.
Header Photo Credit: "Harvested Land," Beth Shumate. August 15, 2014. (link)
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