The UPPER ROOM Devotional 1 November 2023: Talking to God
Read and Study Today’s The Upper Room Daily Devotional for 1st November 2023 Message written by Claudia Marianela Vicioso Melo (Dominican Republic). God bless you as you study today! Please share with your friends and loved ones.
TODAY’S TOPIC: TALKING TO GOD
Linda Coggin (British Columbia, Canada)
TODAY’S READING
Psalm 56:1-13
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Trusting in God can calm my fears.
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.
PRAYER FOCUS
Children experiencing nightmares
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