The Upper Room Devotional 22nd November 2023
The Upper Room Devotional 22nd November 2023, Wednesday Message by Roberto Alonso Rodríguez (Nuevo León, México)
TOPIC: Praise God!
TODAY’S READING
Acts of the Apostles 16:25-34
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. – Acts 16:25 (NIV)
I have usually made a point to arrive early to worship so that I have time to listen for God’s message for me. But then my church began playing praise music ahead of the service — music I am not familiar with and really do not enjoy. So I started arriving just prior to the sermon, thinking this is the only thing I need from God.
One Sunday the sermon was based on Acts 16:16-40. The story of Paul and Silas in prison spoke directly to my heart. Rather than dwell on their pain and suffering into the night, they began to pray and sing praises to God! That message had a powerful impact on me. Praise is a sign of love we can always offer to God, who is faithful, generous, and compassionate. More than that, praise is the affirmation of God’s love for us.
Moving forward, I began to join in every praise song, whether I was familiar with it or not. Later, I would search the internet for the less familiar songs so I could learn them. Now I don’t want to be late for worship because I don’t want to miss the songs of praise. Being present and fully prepared to participate is something I have come to value — and enjoy!
TODAY’S PRAYER
Heavenly Father, attune our hearts to worship you in spirit and in truth. May we all find joy in praising you. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I will offer the praise that God deserves.
PRAYER FOCUS
Church music ministries
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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