The Upper Room Daily Devotional from The United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Monday, 23 July 2018 "A Change of Perspective" by Rebecca Olmstead (Washington) Psalm 27:4-8

 

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The Upper Room Daily Devotional from The United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Monday, 23 July 2018 "A Change of Perspective" by Rebecca Olmstead (Washington) Psalm 27:4-8

We give thanks to you, O God . . . your name is near. People tell of your wondrous deeds. (Psalm 75:1 (NRSV))
We had a bumper crop of dandelions. My husband joked that if we killed them all, we wouldn’t have anything left of our lawn. During this time, I was stuck gazing out my bedroom window at the lawn because I had a cancerous tumor. While I watched nature reclaim five years of hard work on our lawn, I wanted to cry. Then one day as I was looking out the window, my four-year-old daughter, Gracie, nudged in beside me for a look. I heard her gasp. “Oh, Mommy!” she said. “Look at all the beautiful yellow flowers! Can we go pick some?”
Wow! I thought. No wonder Jesus loves the little children. I had been so focused on the negative that I didn’t see the beauty. I realized that I was only focusing on what I was missing out on because of my tumor. Now I have begun to see that bed rest has given me more time for prayer and reading God’s word than I’ve ever had before. How many times have I dismissed situations — or people — based on my negative perception of them?
We tend to see only what we look for. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” If I’m not seeing God’s glory in all things, I need a change of perspective. Gracie made me determined to stop, no matter what circumstances surround me or how things or people appear, and find the glory in all of God’s creation.
TODAY'S PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help us to see in nature your glory and constant presence. Amen.
TODAY'S READING: Psalm 27:4 Just one thing have I asked of Adonai;
only this will I seek:
to live in the house of Adonai
all the days of my life,
to see the beauty of Adonai
and visit in his temple.
5 For he will conceal me in his shelter
on the day of trouble,
he will hide me in the folds of his tent,
he will set me high on a rock.
6 Then my head will be lifted up
above my surrounding foes,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing, sing praises to Adonai.
7 Listen, Adonai, to my voice when I cry;
show favor to me; and answer me.
8 “My heart said of you, ‘Seek my face.’”
Your face, Adonai, I will seek. (Complete Jewish Bible).
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Today I will look for God’s glory in unexpected places.
PRAYER FOCUS: Someone on bed rest
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