THE UPPER ROOM 16 MARCH 2024 DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE
Read The Upper Room 16 March 2024 Devotional Message for Saturday wriiten by Lynda Samuel (Scotland, United Kingdom)
TOPIC: God’s Shadow
TODAY’S READING
Psalm 91:1-16
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. – Psalm 91:1 (NIV)
The Upper Room 16 March 2024 Devotional MESSAGE
In Scotland, UK, where I was brought up, we don’t have a lot of warm sunshine. I remember as a teenager sitting outdoors sunbathing, trying to get a tan. I’d sigh with disappointment when a cloud obscured the sun temporarily, covering me in a cool shadow.
My feelings toward shadows changed dramatically when I landed in Madras, India, in May 1975 to serve on the staff of a teacher-training college. I stepped off the plane into what felt like a hot oven — 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Overhead was a cloudless blue sky. In what can be an oppressively hot and humid climate, people long for shadows which can offer shelter. The students used to sit in groups under the spreading foliage of trees to study together.
Likewise, in the warm, sunny land of Israel, where David composed his psalms, a shadow would be thought of as a gift, a comfort, a protection — something to be valued. How much more valuable, then, is “the shadow of the Almighty!” In God’s shadow, we find shelter and safety.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for the change in perspective new experiences can bring. Inspire us today to rest in your sheltering shadow. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I am safe and secure in the Lord.
PRAYER FOCUS
Those who need shelter
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.