THE UPPER ROOM DEVOTIONAL 19TH JANUARY 2025, SUNDAY MESSAGE
Read The Upper Room Devotional 19th January 2025 written by Robert Irvine (England, United Kingdom)
TOPIC: Finding Rest
Today’s Reading
Psalm 23:1-6
[The Lord] makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters. – Psalm 23:2 (NIV)
TODAY’S MESSAGE
I was designing a major installation at work. As the deadline approached, I began working overtime. It started as one extra hour a day but soon went to two hours a day. The day before the deadline I worked from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. the next morning. A few days later, my boss asked me to work away from home for six months. I had had enough, and I decided to resign. When my boss asked me why, I explained it to him. He gave me an extra week of annual leave and told me to rest!
Psalm 23 describes God as a shepherd who “makes [us] lie down,” giving us rest so that we can enjoy God’s bountiful grace and mercy. God wants us to rest, to pause and focus on God. Even God paused to rest in the Creation story (see Gen. 2:2-3).
We need physical rest, and we need emotional rest. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30). God, through Jesus, offers rest for our souls.
Today’s Prayer
Dear Jesus, help us to find rest in you. Show us how and when to rest. Amen.
Thought for the Day
Even when I am busy, I will follow God’s example and pause to rest.
Prayer Focus
Those overwhelmed with work
The Upper Room Devotional 19th January 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