The Upper Room Devotional 4 September 2022 | Keep Focused
Welcome to The Upper Room Daily Devotional for 4th September 2022, written by Marlene Legaspi-Muna. May the Lord bless you in Jesus’ name Amen!
THE UPPER ROOM DEVOTIONAL 4 SEPTEMBER 2022, SUNDAY
Today’s Topic: Keep Focused
Gregory N. Seltzer (Florida, USA)
TODAY’S READING
Matthew 14:22-31
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
How will I keep my life focused on Christ today?
When [Peter] noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” – Matthew 14:30-31 (NRSV)
I have led seven trips to Israel over the past 25 years. During the course of those trips, we always take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. When we reach the middle, I ask the captain to turn the boat engines off. As we drift along in the water, I read two passages of scripture aloud: Jesus calming the storm (Lk. 8:22-25) and Peter walking on the water (Matt. 14:22-31).
On my most recent trip, a small squall began to kick up the waves while we were traveling across the water. It occurred to me that Peter might have seen similar waves and felt a similar wind. And when he took his eyes off of Jesus to look at the storm around him, he became fearful and began to sink.
I think we all can relate to Peter when we feel like life is out of our control. But if we turn our focus to Jesus through scripture and prayer, he will always be there to reach out his hand and pull us to safety.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Thank you, Jesus, for your constant presence. Teach us to rely on you in every situation. Amen.
PRAYER FOCUS
Peace in the Middle East
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