The Upper Room Devotional 24th October 2023: Like a Mother and a Father

TODAY’S TOPIC: LIKE A MOTHER AND A FATHER

Paul Alex (Banten, Indonesia)

TODAY’S READING
Psalm 23:1-6

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Scripture brings me comfort when I feel alone.

From my birth I have leaned upon you, my protector since my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you. – Psalm 71:6 (NRSVUE)

Our family is large. I am the youngest of six siblings — three girls and three boys. I lost both my mother and my father when I was very young, and my elder brothers and sisters raised me. Following my mother’s death from cancer, I felt utterly alone. I often cried, thinking, Why should I live? Jesus take me. I have no one to love me the way she did. But I have taken comfort in Psalm 23. My mother often recited these verses when I held her hand and went on walks with her or when I accompanied her to the hospital.

Now I am a grown woman with my own family, a career, and an independent life. Psalm 23, the passage my mother taught me when I was young, still comforts me; it gives me hope when I face sickness, sadness, or other challenges. As I recite that psalm from memory, joy and peace prevail in me. I have learned to look to God when I need my mother’s love and also when I need my father’s love. I know that God loves me and cares for me. God can comfort me like a mother and like a father.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Loving God, thank you for comforting your children. Thank you for your continuous guidance and favor. Amen.

PRAYER FOCUS
Those grieving the loss of a parent

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