THE UPPER ROOM 19TH SEPTEMBER 2024 DAILY DEVOTIONAL, THURSDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: God with Us
Today’s Reading
Mark 4:35-40
I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. – Psalm 73:23 (NIV)
Today’s Message
I was riding a bus along a twisting highway between cities. The bus bounced and swayed more than usual, and I didn’t feel well. As I tried to pray and hoped I wouldn’t throw up, I remembered that in Spanish, the same word is used for being carsick and seasick (mareos, from mar, the “sea”). I thought of the disciples in the boat with Jesus when a storm arose on the Sea of Galilee. They were frightened — and perhaps seasick — so they woke up Jesus who was somehow sleeping through it all. “Don’t you care if we drown?” they cried. And he promptly calmed the storm.
What strikes me is that though Jesus had the power to calm the storm and obligingly did so when they asked, he was already in the boat with the disciples. God is with us all the time — in the storms of life and on calm sunny days. God holds us by the hand in every moment and is ready to answer when we call for reassurance. When we trust in God’s loving presence, peace can fill our souls, even in the most difficult times.
Today’s Prayer
Thank you, God, for being ready to answer when we call. Help us to trust in your continual presence. Amen.
Thought for the Day
Jesus is already in the boat with me.
Prayer Focus
First responders and rescue crews
The Upper Room 19th September 2024 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