THE UPPER ROOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL 12 JUNE 2024, WEDNESDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: God Listens
TODAY’S READING
Psalm 69:13-18
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God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. – Psalm 66:19 (NIV)
TODAY’S MESSAGE
In my retirement, I started a housecleaning business. One day a woman asked me to stop by her father’s house and provide a price quote. His grief over the recent loss of his wife of over 60 years had led him to neglect caring for his home.
At the house, I met a slim, bespectacled man named Gordon. He pointed out pictures of his grandchildren, daughter, and wife, Grace. Tears welled up in Gordon’s eyes as he told me how he and Grace had loved to play golf and how her delicious cooking always included green chili. He missed those meals, her company, and her voice. When we came to a large portrait of Grace over the mantel, he asked, “Isn’t she beautiful?” Whenever I came to clean, Gordon let his grief come to the surface.
Looking back at my time with Gordon, my most important contribution wasn’t cleaning — it was listening. Our humanity is validated when someone cares enough to listen to us. In scripture, God promises to listen to us and attend to our prayers. When we listen to the stories of others’ lives, we become like God’s ear extended to them. Let’s ask God for opportunities to listen to the people God brings into our lives.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Lord, make us aware of the needs of those around us. Guide us to take time to share your love with others by listening. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
When I listen to someone, I show them God’s love.
PRAYER FOCUS
To be a compassionate listener
The Upper Room Daily Devotional 12 June 2024 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