THE UPPER ROOM 19 APRIL 2024 DEVOTIONAL, FRIDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: Listening to God
TODAY’S READING
1 Peter 5:1-10
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV)
I had a good job, a family, and a house in the suburbs. Then I got divorced and everything changed. Living in my car on a noisy city street, sleeping with a blanket over my head to keep out the cold and the city lights, and eating alone on a bench in the park forced me to reflect and listen to God.
I was welcomed by others in the homeless community, and their acceptance helped me see that God is in every person, maybe especially in the homeless one.
Homelessness was humbling, but Jesus humbled himself for us. We are called to walk humbly with God, just as Jesus did on his way to the Cross. God eventually lifted me up, teaching me to cast away my worries, to see God in nature, to value every person, and to leave my life in God’s hands.
God directed me to a church community that has helped me grow in faith, where I work on outreach missions, including with those who are homeless. The support of the people in this community has made it easier to follow God’s way. God calls us to feed the hungry, visit the sick, welcome the stranger, and care for the homeless . . . listen.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Open our eyes and hearts, O God, to the needs of those around us. Open our ears to listen to your promptings. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God leads me through every circumstance to help me reach my calling.
PRAYER FOCUS
Those without housing
The Upper Room 19 April 2024 Devotional 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