THE UPPER ROOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL 25 JUNE 2024, TUESDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: God’s Concern
TODAY’S READING
Psalm 40:1-5
The Upper Room Daily Devotional 25 June 2024 MESSAGE
Honest balances and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights in the bag are his work. – Proverbs 16:11 (NRSVUE)
Going into the clinic for a routine blood test was a biannual activity for me. This particular morning, I was sitting with a prayer list, silently lifting up people’s requests as I waited to be called. Then God interrupted me.
No, interrupted is the wrong word. My mind and heart were flooded with light and the riches of God’s love. While I had been praying, I had been watching various patients come in and had unconsciously been making assumptions — judgments — about their personal habits. In fact, I’m pretty sure some part of me was thinking, They wouldn’t be in such bad shape if they . . .
God’s perspective shattered all my silent judgments as I became aware of the tremendous affection and concern God felt for each person. The concerns each person carried were also God’s concerns.
This experience gave new meaning to Proverbs 16:11. I have prayed ever since to see and to love others through God’s loving concern and wisdom, rather than according to my own skewed scales of judgment.
Gracious God, thank you for knowing all our burdens and for caring deeply for each of us. Teach us to show compassion to everyone we meet. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God’s compassion for me inspires me to have compassion for others.
PRAYER FOCUS
Someone I have judged
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