The Upper Room Daily Devotion – Monday, 30 December 2013 “God Leads Us Still” Read Psalm 46

The Upper Room Daily Devotion – Monday, 30 December 2013 “God Leads Us Still” Read Psalm 46: God’s Defense of His City and People

To the leader. Of the Korahites. According to Alamoth. A Song.

1 God is our refuge and strength,

    a very present[a] help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,

    though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;

3 though its waters roar and foam,

    though the mountains tremble with its tumult.Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

    the holy habitation of the Most High.

5 God is in the midst of the city;[b] it shall not be moved;

    God will help it when the morning dawns.

6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;

    he utters his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our refuge.[c]Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord;

    see what desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

    he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;

    he burns the shields with fire.

10 “Be still, and know that I am God!

    I am exalted among the nations,

    I am exalted in the earth.”.

11 The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our refuge.[d]Selah

Footnotes:

a. Psalm 46:1 Or well proved

b. Psalm 46:5 Heb of it

c. Psalm 46:7 Or fortress

d. Psalm 46:11 Or fortress

Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.(Psalm 46:10 (NRSV))

When my wife was in the intensive care unit, everyone told me to have faith that she would get well. But I had my doubts. My father had recently died, even though I had placed my faith in God, trusting that my father would survive. If my wife were to die, it would be a profound loss for me and my family. In addition, our medical insurance was drying up. The ensuing weeks saw my wife on the verge of death. In my desperation, I found the verse from Psalm 46 above. Even if I could not have faith in the outcome, I found I could have confidence that whatever happened, God would be in the midst of it all. The long-term effects of my wife’s hospital stay made her recuperation slow, and my emotional health had been wounded by the crisis. Even so, not once did I feel abandoned by God. God was there through the support of our church; God was there to provide our family nourishment; God was there to assist in our financial needs. Today I feel at peace. Psalm 46 showed me how to be still and to trust God to heal the wounds of body and spirit and to restore life and faith.(The Author-Abelardo Flores Zertuche (Nuevo Leon, Mexico))

Thought for the Day: Go to devotional.upperroom.org/blog to see a photo of Abelardo and his wife.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for being our guide — leading us through stormy and dark paths to a place of quiet solitude and the peace that passes all understanding (Phil 4:7). Amen.

Prayer focus: Family members in the hospital

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