The Upper Room Devotional 24 July 2024: Bitterness into Beauty
Read and Study Today’s The Upper Room Daily Devotional for July 24th, 2024 Message. God bless you as you study today! Please share with your friends and loved ones.
Today’s Topic: Bitterness into Beauty
Melissa Ramoo (New South Wales, Australia)
TODAY’S READING
Ruth 1:15-22
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God can turn my sorrow into joy.
The Upper Room Devotional 24 July 2024 Message:
“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.” – Ruth 1:20 (NIV)
Due to struggles with my mental health, I had told my husband I did not want children, much to his disappointment. But as I neared the completion of my second degree, I was feeling the best I ever had. So seven years into our marriage, after experiencing a lot of God’s healing, we decided to start trying.
I quickly became pregnant. Unexpectedly, I immediately felt deep love for our child. And then not long after that, we had a miscarriage.
I felt I had suffered enough and couldn’t understand why this would happen. I recalled the story of Naomi, who had lost her husband and sons, crying out to God, “Don’t call me Naomi . . . Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.” For weeks I prayed these same words to God.
Then as I kept praying, I remembered that the story did not end there. Naomi’s faithful daughter-in-law, Ruth, remained with her and cared for her. Naomi would become the grandmother to Obed — the grandfather of King David.
At the time of this writing, we’re still grieving the loss of a child we never had the chance to meet. We still contend with the possibility that we might never have a child. But my story is not over. We aren’t guaranteed the outcome we want. But the God who renewed, sustained, and redeemed Naomi’s life can renew ours as well.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Author of life, help us to trust that the story does not end here. Turn our bitterness into beauty. Amen.
PRAYER FOCUS
Those grieving a miscarriage
- Our Daily Bread 24 July 2024 Devotion: Our True Refuge Is God
- NSPPD 24 July 2024 Live Prayer || Oh Lord Show Me Mercy