Today’s Reflection
LORD, I NEED a big dose of hope today.
None of the pie-in-the-sky kind.
Not even a pretty-sure guess.
I need the real kind of hope that brings lightness to a heavy day.
I am tired of gritting my teeth,
trying to swallow the pain that is my reality.
When I look back on my life,
I see how you proved faithful time after time.
There were moments I thought you had forgotten me
only to discover you were holding me so close I couldn’t see.
So if the stubborn pain refuses to subside for a while,
I will still whisper your name in praise.
Refocus my mind on you, Lord. Only on you.
It is there I find hope.
- Missy Buchanan
Living with Purpose in a Worn-Out Body
From page 59 of Living with Purpose in a Worn-Out Body by Missy Buchanan. Copyright © 2008 by Missy Buchanan. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
How has God proven faithful in your life, even in tough times? Share your thoughts.
Today’s Scripture
So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Mark 6:12-13, NRSV
This Week: pray for who are discouraged. Submit your prayer to The Upper Room Living Prayer Center or share it in the comment section below.
Did You Know?
Join us in our journey to find time for God in our daily life. Enjoy Alive Now digital and nurture your spirit. For more information regarding the Alive Now digital options, please follow this link.
Saints, Inc.:
This week we remember Thomas (July 3).
Lectionary Readings
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Sponsored by Upper Room Ministries ®. Copyright © 2012, a ministry of GBOD | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
God has and is proving faithful through his steadfast love. The area that I struggle with is my thoughts and I am experiencing healing in this area of my life.God is working on changing my mind through prayer, scripture and presence. I am assured today that everything that I desire begins in my relationship with God. I am learning to rest on the assurance that God wants the best for me, therefore I will not fear. Amen.
Sometimes we are not so aware of God’s help. Looking back to 78-79 I was in grad school, married and with a young daughter, then expecting another child, living on a very small income. God saw us through that time. We went to church and did what we could to help others but at the time I didn’t have the same kind of relationship with God as I do now.
Lord help us always to remember those who are discouraged, to pray for them and help them. Next week the prayer focus here may change, but discouraged people will still be with us.
When my husband of 21 year walked out on me, leaving me financially devastated, God was with me every step of the way. Someone would
give me a book that said what I needed. Or ask me out for lunch or dinner. There was a wonderful class on divorce. He used others to
bless me continuously.
God has marvelous and mysterious ways of sending the help we need just when we need it most. May God continue to bless you in your journey, Shelli. I pray that your heart will mend and that you will also recover financially somehow. May you remember this day how much you are loved.
Oh yes, God has been faithful to me many times over through the years.
The other day I found a bulletin board from another house that I lived in many years ago. Thumbtacked on it was something that I had cut out. It said in big letters “Roses will bloom again”. I remember why I put it there and yes, roses DID bloom again, thanks be to God!
Time is (or maybe already has been) the answer, Shelli. Bless you for sharing.
My son will be leaving for college in a few weeks. Every time I try to talk to him he seems further away. I was feling especially down this week when an upper room excerpt about empty nests saved my day
Kit, I’ve been in your shoes, and my heart goes out to you. I grieved when my daughter went to college 400 miles away. After about a month, it occurred to me that she would be home soon for fall break. I could make it that long. Then when she returned to school after fall break, I remembered that Thanksgiving wasn’t far off, and then Christmas. You’ll make it through this time. Know that you are not alone; there are other parents out there in the same situation. Re. your son seeming farther away, at this time he is trying to prepare himself mentally for living in another place. It’s an exciting but also daunting time for young adults. One book I read that helped was”Letting Go: A Guide to the College Years.” My daughter bought it for me.
God has answered my prayers, provided for me and has healed me through two recent cancer diagnoses, surgeries and treatment. He’s given me more time (at least another day) that I am able to worship and follow his commandment — to love one another. This I will do!
God bless you, KC, and may you continue to enjoy living one day at a time, rejoicing in what you can do!
God has proven Himself faithful to me by allowing me to butt my problems straight on. Then, whispering to me that I am not alone; that there is a better way in my faithfulness to Him.
I love this prayer and it has helped me in the past to bring hope.
It touches my heart today as I grieve the loss of my mother last weekend. I truly feel God holding me so close that I can’t see God and the prayers of family and friends. This will see me through this most difficult time.
Oh, Cathy…I’m so sorry to hear about your mom’s death. I pray that you will continually feel God’s loving presence and the prayers of your family and friends. Take the time you need to grieve. You never “get over” losing a loved one…you just learn how to live in the absence of that person. Sending prayers especially for you right now.