THE UPPER ROOM DEVOTIONAL 3RD JANUARY 2025, FRIDAY MESSAGE
Read The Upper Room Devotional 3rd January 2025 written by Ary Cahya (Central Java, Indonesia)
TOPIC: In Everything
Today’s Reading
Isaiah 30:15-18
In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. – Isaiah 30:15 (NIV)
Today’s Message
When I was a child, I often saw Javan munia birds in rural rice fields. Farmers consider these birds pests because they eat the rice. Sometimes farmers shoot at the flock with air rifles. Interestingly, when the birds hear the shots, they panic and bump into each other or get stuck in tree branches, causing their own demise.
When sudden change happens, sometimes I’m just like those birds. I react poorly out of shock and panic, and I run into problems. Once when I heard a rumor, I reacted in panic — only to realize later that the rumor was incorrect. Likewise, often when I heard good news, I would get too excited and make snap judgments that I ultimately regretted.
Then I read Isaiah 30:15: “In quietness and trust is your strength.” Instead of putting panic and emotion first, I learned that it is better to remain calm and trust God. As Proverbs 19:2 says, “Hasty feet miss the way!” So I learned to be still, try to think clearly, and pray. I learned to trust that even if I stumbled, God would not allow me to fall.
Today’s Prayer
Dear God, help us not to follow our panic but rather to trust you in all circumstances. Amen.
Thought for the Day
In the face of adversity I will trust in God’s quiet strength.
Prayer Focus
To remain calm in trying situations
The Upper Room Devotional 3rd 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