THE UPPER ROOM 17 APRIL 2024 DEVOTIONAL, WEDNESDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: Anchored
TODAY’S READING
Psalm 46:1-11 (NIV)
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields[d] with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
MEMORY VERSE: We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. – Hebrews 6:19 (NIV)
TODAY’S MESSAGE
My husband, Mike, and I were visiting a nearby town for our routine eye examinations. As we looked at the array of new frames, Mike suddenly fainted, hitting his head on the floor. Although he came around fairly quickly, he was clearly shaken and had a huge bump on his head. We called an ambulance and made our way to the hospital.
As we waited in a crowded corridor, I found myself wondering where God was. Why had this happened? What damage had been done? If only I could feel God’s peace instead of feeling stressed.
Then something came to mind from the devotional I had read that morning. To be honest, I couldn’t remember many details; but I knew it was something about anchors: how St. Paul was tossed around in a ship at sea and how God holds us secure in the storms of life. How appropriate!
I felt that God was saying to me, “I am holding you. You are anchored.” I kept repeating this to myself through the time of anxious waiting at the hospital. I didn’t feel a warm glow of peace, but I knew that we were in God’s hands. We were anchored.
Mike was and is okay. I give thanks for God’s faithfulness and for God’s word that still speaks to us today.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Thank you, faithful God, that when the storms of life shake our security, you hold us and never let us go. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I am anchored in God’s love.
PRAYER FOCUS
Someone recovering from a fall
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The Upper Room 17 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