THE UPPER ROOM DEVOTIONAL 18TH OCTOBER 2025, SATURDAY MESSAGE
God Can Be Trusted
Rajkumar (Sri Lanka)
Today’s Reading
Psalm 42:1-11
1 As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
the face of God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me continually,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng[a]
and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
a multitude keeping festival.
5 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 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
at the thunder of your torrents;
all your waves and your billows
have gone over me.
8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I walk about mournfully
because the enemy oppresses me?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my body,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me continually,
“Where is your God?”
11 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.
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. – Psalm 42:5 (NRSVUE)
It was another usual workday in the 1990s that started with dropping my kids off at school and rushing to my office nearby. I was a member of the leadership team of a business during a turbulent time — the economy of the country was going downward, and I was stressed about meeting the financial commitments of the business.
As the first to enter the office, I noticed a letter in the fax machine that had been sent during the night. It contained the shocking news of the withdrawal of the main brand of products in our portfolio. It was an unexpected and most unwelcome message. The whole team was shocked, and during the following days many found alternate employment.
I was led to Psalm 42:5 where the psalmist resolves to put his hope in God. Though it was hard for me to trust at that time, given the circumstances, today I have seen that my trust was not in vain. God, whom I trusted, has guided me through the ups and downs to become the person that I am today. Though my aspirations did not materialize, God has molded me and prepared me to become a useful vessel in God’s hands.
Thought for the Day
Even in the bleakest circumstances, I will trust God.
Prayer Focus
Those experiencing workplace instability
Today’s Prayer
Faithful God, we trust in you in all circumstances. Guide us through our valleys and lead us to the paths you want us to travel. Amen.
The Upper Room Devotional 18th October 2025 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
