The Upper Room Daily Devotional 22 January 2022 | Saturday Message
God’s Grace Is Sufficient
Nelly García Gallardo (Mexico City, Mexico)
TODAY’S READING
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
KEY VERSE: [The Lord] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
The Upper Room Daily Devotional 22 January 2022 Message
I was in the waiting area being prepared for another surgery. Three other patients were brought in with me. As the nurse was preparing a patient named Raúl, he began to express to the nurse his anxiety about the procedure and the discomfort he had experienced the night before.
As I overheard this short exchange, the words of the apostle Paul above came to my mind. While the nurse prepared my intravenous drip, I was able to chat with Raúl, sharing what I had learned through previous surgeries. I also shared some suggestions he might consider during his recuperation, adding that in spite of our suffering God offers hope. After talking for a couple more minutes, we prayed together. As Raúl was wheeled into surgery, he appeared much more serene.
I was also comforted, knowing that God was by my side and that what I had learned as a result of my previous surgeries opened the door to offer some help, perhaps even a blessing, to someone else. When we place our full trust in Christ, we are called by the Spirit to be open to help others wherever we are. We can live out our faith, confident in the knowledge that our Creator knows our every need and that God’s grace is sufficient.
TODAY’S PRAYER
God of mercy, even in our weakness we remain confident that your grace is sufficient for us and we, in turn, can be attentive to the needs of others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God’s grace is with us today and always.
PRAYER FOCUS
Nurses and surgeons
The Upper Room Daily Devotional 22 January 2022 Message
The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. The meditations are stories of real people working to live faithfully with the Bible as their touchstone. Every day, readers of The Upper Room around the world read the same story in many different languages and pray the same prayer together. Read More