THE UPPER ROOM DEVOTIONAL 1ST MAY 2025, THURSDAY MESSAGE
Read The Upper Room Devotional 1st May 2025 written by Lin Daniels (Massachusetts, USA)
TOPIC: Every Season
Today’s Reading
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. – Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
When my friend Ginny came to visit me in New England, she delighted in the fall foliage. She had never before experienced leaves with such vibrant shades of red, yellow, and orange. The brilliant swamp maple leaves especially caught her eye, so she gathered a few and preserved them to show her students back home.
While Ginny appreciated the spectacular colors as one of God’s treasured gifts, often I have a different reaction. At times I miss the beauty of autumn because I’m focused on what comes next — winter. Where I live, winter means blustery winds, ice, and nor’easters — strong storms that can deposit more than a foot of snow. Rather than investing in fully living in the present season, I tend to live with a heart and an eye turned toward the next season.
Today’s scripture reminds us that seasons change, and each is valuable and purposeful in God’s sight. Seasons can be physical, like fall and winter. Or seasons can be spiritual like those described in Ecclesiastes. Each season has its own merit and carries God’s tender touch. Whatever the season, may we be fully present and alive to God’s presence and love.
Today’s Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for each season. Help us to pause in the present and be attentive to you this day. Amen.
Thought for the Day
God is present in every season.
Prayer Focus
Those starting a new season of life
The Upper Room Devotional 1st May 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