The Upper Room Daily Devotional 29 June 2022 for Wednesday Message
Read The Upper Room Daily Devotional 29 June 2022 Message by Susan Wakefield Dal Porto (Illinois, USA)
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TOPIC: Hollow Trees
TODAY’S READING
Galatians 6:1-5
KEY VERSE: Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2 (NRSV)
The Upper Room Daily Devotional 29 June 2022 MESSAGE
One sunny autumn afternoon, my adult son and I hiked through a local forest. We stopped at a tree that had a large hollow near the ground. When I stuck my head inside the hollow, my son cautioned that animals might be living in there; but it was completely empty. We were amazed that even with its core missing, the outer part of the tree remained strong.
READ: The Upper Room Daily Devotional 27 June 2022 – It’s a Journey
Similarly, even when people appear stable and strong, they may have a broken heart or troubled soul. One Sunday our pastor invited us to pray with someone near us. I was sitting next to a woman with whom I frequently have casual conversations, and I asked if she needed prayer. Her face crumpled in pain as she said, “Pray for my daughter — for our relationship.” It was a rare moment of vulnerability when a private heartbreak was revealed.(The Upper Room Daily Devotional 29 June 2022)
READ ALSO: The Upper Room Daily Devotional 28 June 2022 – Rejoice!
People I cross paths with each day may be like hollow trees. I am rarely given a chance to peer into the hollow and offer grace or support. Further, I am rarely vulnerable enough to reveal my own hurts and heartbreaks to others. But as part of God’s love for us all, God encourages us to look into the hollows in ourselves and others and to respond with love.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear God, help us to bear one another’s burdens — to give others a space to reveal their hurts and concerns, and to trust enough to reveal our burdens to others. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God encourages me to share my burdens with others.
PRAYER FOCUS
People who are struggling silently
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More From Susan Wakefield Dal Porto
The Upper Room Daily Devotional 29 June 2022 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