THE UPPER ROOM DEVOTIONAL 26TH SEPTEMBER 2025, FRIDAY MESSAGE
Using My Grief
Brianna Sligar (Texas, USA)
Today’s Reading
1 Peter 1:3-7
[God] heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. – Psalm 147:3 (NIV)
When I was only two, my 15-year-old sister died by suicide. As I grew up, the shadow of grief was all-encompassing. It was strange to be grieving someone I could barely remember.
For most of my early teenage years, I was in a constant simmer of anger — at the world and at God. It wasn’t until I returned to church and started grief counseling that my relationship with God began to heal. Through my counselor, God helped me process my grief so that I could continue to live my life fruitfully despite the pain I faced at such a young age.
When I was a senior in high school, I felt for the first time that I was called to go to college. The path God had planned for me was finally visible. I felt the need to get my degree in psychology, to be a therapist for teenagers and young adults. I wanted to help those who are struggling in the way my sister did. I believe that despite the trauma I’ve been facing most of my life, God has a plan to use my grief experiences to help those who are facing similar pain.
*If you or someone you know is in crisis or experiencing suicidal thoughts, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
Today’s Prayer
Dear God, may the plans you have for us prosper as you heal our wounds. Amen.
Thought for the Day
The pain I experience equips me to show God’s love to others.
Prayer Focus
Those affected by suicide
The Upper Room Devotional 26th September 2025 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. Read More