The Upper Room Devotional 12 April 2026, Sunday Message
No Permanent Home
Wayne Greenawalt (Wisconsin, USA)
Today’s Reading
Hebrews 11:8-10
By faith [Abraham] made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country. – Hebrews 11:9 (NIV)
Now retired, my wife, Karin, and I decided to move closer to our daughter in Wisconsin. While loading the rental truck on moving day, I reflected upon the fact that Karin and I have lived in six homes in four different US states over the past 50 years. Though it was difficult moving — sometimes hundreds of miles away — we established ourselves in each of these communities. These moves were prompted by God’s call to ministry and, despite their challenges, resulted in the deepening of our faith and our dependence upon the Lord.
As Christians, we have no permanent home in this world. The patriarch Abraham comes to mind. By faith he responded to God’s call when he did not know how God’s will would be accomplished. He left all that was familiar, including his family and his friends. He dwelled in tents. He lived looking to the future. Likewise, we are sojourners in this world. We can look forward with hope to the future and our heavenly home.
Thought for the Day
I will keep my focus on my eternal home with Christ.
Prayer Focus
Those moving later in life
Today’s Prayer
Dear Lord, help us to be filled with faith as Abraham was. Keep us focused not on the temporal but the eternal. Amen.
The Upper Room Devotional 12 April 2026 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