The Upper Room Devotional for 9th December 2022
Welcome!!! The word of God is food to the spirit man. As you read The Upper Room Devotional Today, may the word of the Lord powerfully impact on you.
Topic: My Old Bird Feeder
Cassius Rhue (South Carolina, USA)
TODAY’S READING
Matthew 6:25-34
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
What helps me to trust in God’s provision?
The Upper Room Devotional For 9th December 2022
Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? – Matthew 6:26 (NRSV)
I looked out into the backyard and smiled at the sight of the old bird feeder dangling from its hook. A handful of seeds remained from the winter, and the sound of birds echoed in the distance. My thoughts drifted back to the day I bought that feeder.
Back then, my paycheck was far less than I had hoped — the result of a poor quarter in company sales and a near miss on a performance bonus. The medical bills from a growing family and a season of difficulty presented fears I hadn’t imagined as I calculated how little might remain after paying the bills. In the day that followed, my Bible study time ended with the words from today’s reading, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (NIV). The words were timely, and I made up my mind to do two things: tithe before paying a single bill and buy a bird feeder.
Now, years later, when times feel tough and uncertainty or trouble looms near, the bird feeder reminds me that I am more valuable than the birds that God feeds and cares for every day.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear God, when uncertainties cause us to worry, help us to seek you first and to trust with joy and hope that you will give us what we need. Amen.
PRAYER FOCUS
Those burdened by unplanned expenses