The Upper Room 8th June 2022 Daily Devotional | From Grief to Hope

The Upper Room 8th June 2022 Daily Devotional for Wednesday Message

Read The Upper Room 8th June 2022 Daily Devotional by Karla Sue Lowe-Phelps (Missouri, USA)

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TOPIC: From Grief to Hope

TODAY’S READING
Psalm 23:1-6

KEY VERSE: Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. – Psalm 42:11 (NRSV)

The Upper Room 8th June 2022 Daily Devotional MESSAGE

One day on a hike, I could see my intended destination: a grove of spruce trees towering above me. However, a thick briar patch stood in my way. Pulling clippers from my back pocket, I grasped the first briar stem, cut it, and tossed it aside. Slowly, I cut a trail leading through the thicket of thorns.

Halfway up the hill, I realized how this process paralleled my recent faith journey. For months, grief had overwhelmed me, making daily time with God seem impossible. I knew that scripture answered my sorrow with assurance. But the briars of sadness still seemed to block out hope.

As I pressed on up the hill, I decided to clip my stems of sadness with the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17). In rhythm with my snipping of the literal thorns, I repeated Psalm 23. With each cut and phrase, I felt myself step out of the earthly and spiritual valley of briars. Smelling the sweet fragrance of pine, I looked up at the sun-drenched trees swaying as living psalms to their Creator. God’s creation reminded me that reciting and trusting in God’s word sustains us and gives us hope.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Lord, thank you for your word that sustains us in grief. Thank you for meeting us in your creation as a way to comfort, renew, and refresh our hearts with hope. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God meets me in my sadness.

PRAYER FOCUS
To face grief with renewed hope

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The Upper Room 8th June 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. Read More