Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room
February 18, 2022
Read Psalm 63:1-8
1 God! My God! It’s you I search for you! My whole being thirsts for you! My body desires you in a dry and tired land, no water anywhere. 2 Yes, I’ve seen you in the sanctuary; I’ve seen your power and glory. 3 My lips praise you because your faithful love is better than life itself! 4 So I will bless you as long as I’m alive; I will lift up my hands in your name. 5 I’m fully satisfied as with a rich dinner. My mouth speaks praise with joy on my lips 6 whenever I ponder you on my bed, whenever I meditate on you in the middle of the night 7 because you’ve been a help to me and I shout for joy in the protection of your wings. 8 My whole being clings to you; your strong hand upholds me.
Good Morning! Praise God in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening!
Each of us experiences times when we feel as if we are in a dry and tired land without water. These times often arise out of our challenges when we can’t seem to find our way. Maybe they occur because we momentarily forget to ask for help, or because we chose to “take care of it” by ourselves so we don’t have to admit our failure to anyone.
I remember times as a child when I did something wrong and I wanted desperately to “cover up” my poor decision. I didn’t start out to purposely do something wrong, but one thing led to another, as it often does, and before I knew it something was damaged or I had gotten hurt. I remember going to a park that had a lovely stream running through it. My mom had told me that I should walk in the stream barefoot because I might step on something and hurt my foot. But on this beautiful day, I was there with a friend and mom was at home.
We arrived at the stream and we both took off our shoes and waded in the cool water. It was amazing until I cut my foot on a sharp rock, so I began to doctor my wound because there was no way that I was going to tell my mom what happened. My foot survived the incident, but I’m guessing the healing process was prolonged because of my own medical skills. I still remember gingerly walking on my foot for what seemed like a long time, but the fact I didn’t admit my injury to anyone lingered much longer than the physical injury. My mom would have reprimanded me, but comforted me as she took care of my cut if only I had admitted my mistake.
God is available to comfort us 24/7. All we have to do is reach out and share our doubts, our challenges, our successes, and our lives. We are called to praise God at all times even when we know that we have failed to follow God’s way. God knows everything about us and all that we have done and will do, but as a parent he waits patiently for us to come and ask forgiveness, to ask for help, and to turn over our worries. God won’t stop the serving of natural consequences, but God will be there to help us every step of the way to restore that which is “broken”.
Loving God, Thank You for loving us. Even when we fail, you are there. Help us accept that we are weak, and we need your strength to live our lives in a way pleasing to You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: When I fail, I will look to God for help and try again.
Praise God! (Sometimes a children’s song says it best.) Pastor Liz
Praise him, praise him,
praise him in the morning,
praise Him in the noontime.
Praise him, praise him,
praise him when the sun goes down.
2 Love him, love him, . . .
3 Trust him, trust him, . . .
4 Serve him, serve him, . . .
5 Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus in the morning,
Jesus in the noontime.
Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus when the sun goes down.
Comments