The Upper Room Devotional 17th November 2023
The Upper Room Devotional 17th November 2023, Friday Message by Mary Hunt Webb (New Mexico, USA)
TOPIC:Â Lonely Hours
TODAY’S READING
Psalm 121:5-8
I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me. – Psalm 120:1 (NIV)
I had always wanted to travel and see other places. I got my wish when I married a meteorologist whose career took us away from our families to the San Francisco Bay area of California. We didn’t know anyone except the people my husband worked with, and none of them lived nearby.
With the cost of housing so high, we had very little money, and I had to find thrifty ways to keep our young son entertained. I took him to the park where he climbed on playground equipment, and we fed ducks in the pond. We rode our bicycles to church, the library, and the grocery store. We had fun, but I struggled with our limited resources and with loneliness. Although we joined a church, the members had known each other for such a long time that it was difficult to fit in as newcomers.
During the lonely hours, I called out to God in prayer, and I became so close to the Lord that I heard God speak to my spirit. Some people have doubted me when I say that the Lord speaks to me. I don’t hear audible words, but I hear God in my heart. As my relationship with God has deepened, I have come to understand that when we reach out to God in difficult times, we may receive a blessing we never imagined.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Thank you, dear Lord, for being with us when we feel alone and for answering our prayers in ways that we could not have imagined. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Hearing from God is a divine gift.
PRAYER FOCUS
Newcomers to my church
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More From Mary Hunt Webb
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.
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