THE UPPER ROOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL 21 MAY 2024, TUESDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: Like a Bird
TODAY’S READING
Psalm 50:7-15
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7 “Listen, my people, and I will speak;
I will testify against you, Israel:
I am God, your God.
8 I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices
or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
9 I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the insects in the fields are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15 and call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
KEY VERSE: I know every mountain bird; even the insects in the fields are mine. – Psalm 50:11 (CEB)
TODAY’S MESSAGE
When I suddenly became unemployed, I had no source of income and no immediate prospects. I watched my savings shrink and my dreams disappear. I sank into overwhelming debt. I would lie awake at night while visions of bills paraded through my mind.
One morning, I glanced bleary-eyed out the window where a tiny bird sang its cheery song then flitted on its way into the wind and rain. I marveled that such a delicate creature could sing and keep busy in spite of the perilous weather. “Let me be like that little bird, Lord,” I whispered, “who praises you in the midst of trouble.” Slowly my blessings filled my mind. I bowed my head to thank God for all I had. I realized worrying wasn’t improving my situation. Like the birds, I needed to keep moving, keep busy, and praise God for watching over me and working in my life.
Inspired by the bird, I kept my focus on praising God rather than allowing worry to keep me from worship. I didn’t want to waste my life worrying about my financial state when I could be living my life for God. I took action to change my outlook. I talked to my pastor about doing volunteer work instead of giving money. Financial help slowly came, but those days gave me wealth in new friends, new skills, and a stronger faith in God.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Father, show us how to praise you with our hearts and actions each day. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I will keep moving forward, praising God each and every day.
PRAYER FOCUS
Those who are unemployed
The Upper Room Daily Devotional 21 May 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