The Upper Room 12 May 2022 Daily Devotional for Thursday Message. Read The Upper Room 12 May 2022 Daily Devotional by Victoria Walsh (Montana, USA)
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TOPIC: I Am Here, Not There
TODAY’S READING
Isaiah 43:16-21
KEY VERSE: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. – Isaiah 43:18 (NIV)
The Upper Room 12 May 2022 Daily Devotional MESSAGE
While straightening up a few bottles and jars on my bathroom counter one morning, I found myself lost in a memory of a bathroom in an apartment I had rented when I was young. It wasn’t a happy memory, and my mood started sinking. But then I said to myself, “I’m not there, thank God.” And the memory evaporated, to my great relief.
For a long time, I fought a losing battle with bad memories. They entered my mind like a train I couldn’t stop. Once they were there, I was caught up in a vortex, wrestling disturbing emotions, overanalyzing, and futilely trying to redo events.
But lately the Lord has been showing me simple ways to give these intrusions to God. Just saying something like, “Thank you, Jesus, that I’m here and not there,” or, “Praise you that my life is so much better now, God,” stops the memory and brings me back to the present.
After so many years of struggle, I’m amazed and delighted to be able to replace the bad memories of the past with God’s refreshing love and blessings in my life today. I am reminded that the Lord has set me free (see Jn. 8:36).
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for helping us bear our burdens and for breathing new hope into us. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
With God I can move beyond the negative memories that limit my life.
PRAYER FOCUS
Those burdened by past events
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The Upper Room 12 May 2022 Daily 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