The Upper Room Devotional 6 June 2026, Saturday Message
The Strength to Endure
Emily C. Marszalek (Idaho, USA)
Today’s Reading
Exodus 15:1-6
The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. – Exodus 15:2 (NIV)
It had been a difficult couple of months. Health challenges left me chronically fatigued. Staff shortages and extra responsibilities at work caused me constant stress.
One morning, after another restless night, I woke up with a throbbing headache and felt sick to my stomach. I did my best to prepare for what I knew would be a challenging day. As I drove to work, I spoke the only prayer I could muster: “God, I cannot get through this day without you. Please help me. I need you.” While my headache didn’t magically disappear nor did my nausea subside, I felt a wave of peace come over me.
In spite of not feeling well, I survived the workday. Through God’s strength and grace I was actually highly productive. On the drive home that evening, my prayer of desperation was replaced with a prayer of thankfulness: “I made it through today only because of you. Thank you for strengthening me.”
We are not intended to operate only on our own strength; when we try to do things on our own, we end up overburdened and exhausted. Our strength comes from God, who gives us all we need to endure.
Thought for the Day
Do I rely on my own strength or on God’s?
Prayer Focus
Those overburdened at work
Today’s Prayer
Dear God, thank you for being our strength. Remind us to rely on you each and every day. Amen.
The Upper Room Devotional 6 June 2026 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