The Upper Room Devotional 1st November 2023 Message
The Upper Room Devotional 1st November 2023 , Wednesday Message by Linda Coggin (British Columbia, Canada)
TOPIC: Talking to God
TODAY’S READING
Psalm 56:1-13
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. – Psalm 56:3 (NRSVUE)
When I was young and alone in my dark bedroom at night, I would imagine the frightening scenes from my dreams like a movie playing out on my closet door. I would repeat Psalm 56:3, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you,” until I fell asleep. I didn’t know what it meant to trust God, but for me it was enough to take refuge in those words.
Over 50 years later, I’ve expanded my list of scriptures that reassure me of God’s presence and provision. But the truth is that I still sometimes wake up in the dark fearing the “what ifs.” And when I do, I pray the same verse I memorized as a child.
The psalmist teaches us that trust is the antidote to fear. When I trust in God, I don’t have to figure things out, solve those what-ifs, or know the unknowns. I do not know how things will turn out. But when I trust, I can rest in God’s presence, even if it is just for a few minutes at a time. I don’t have to be afraid because God is always near.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear God, when we are afraid, we can rest in your presence and know that you will always be with us. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Trusting in God can calm my fears.
PRAYER FOCUS
Children experiencing nightmares
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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. The meditations are stories of real people working to live faithfully with the Bible as their touchstone. Every day, readers of The Upper Room around the world read the same story in many different languages and pray the same prayer together.
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