The Upper Room Devotional 20 October 2023
The Upper Room Devotional 20 October 2023 , Friday Message by Brenda Brooks (Virginia, USA)
TOPIC: God’s Loving Hands
TODAY’S READING
Psalm 139:1-6
I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. – Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)
When I was suffering from endometriosis, I would have intense episodes of pain. The only way I could get any relief was to lie flat on my stomach. Praying for help when a wave of severe pain would hit, I would make a fist, squeeze it tight, and imagine that Jesus’ hand was holding mine. Before long I would doze off, and, on waking, the pain would be gone.
The Bible has a lot to say about the power of being held by God’s hands. In Psalm 139, David praises God’s constant presence: “If I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (vv. 9-10). The people of Israel were comforted when God told them not to fear and promised, “I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10). In Acts 2:25, Peter recalls that David said God was always with him: “Because [God] is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
We can take heart in the fact that God never lets go of us. We are held always in God’s powerful and loving hands.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Steadfast God, thank you for holding us in your righteous right hand — no matter where we go or what is happening in our life. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I will never slip through God’s hands.
PRAYER FOCUS
People suffering from physical pain
READ ALSO: David Jeremiah Devotional 20 October 2023 – Confidence