The Upper Room Devotional for 7th September 2023, Thursday
The Upper Room Devotional for 7th September 2023, Thursday Message by Gael Stuart Phaneuf (Colorado, USA)
TOPIC: The Fire
TODAY’S READING
John 14:15-27
Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and he will send another Companion, who will be with you forever.” – John 14:16 (CEB)
I was six years old and sleeping soundly when I was shaken awake and yanked out of bed by my panic-stricken mother who was saying, “There’s a fire.” Her trembling hands pulled a shirt over my head as we ran outside and away from our apartment. We stood at a distance, and I heard my mother softly murmuring prayers for God’s protection as firetrucks roared in and the crew began fighting the blaze. Clutching her hand, I looked up to see smoke pouring from many windows of the building from which we had just escaped. My heart pounded loudly, and I remember praying, “I pray the Lord my soul to keep.” I did not have a lot of prayers to draw upon at that age, but my mother’s murmurings and the security I felt as she pulled me close brought me great comfort.
In my adult life, when I face unexpected and sometimes terrible events, I often experience something similar. The Holy Spirit surrounds me, calming my racing heart just as my mother did so long ago, and I again whisper, “I pray the Lord my soul to keep.” In today’s scripture reading, Jesus said he would ask the Father to send a Companion who would never leave us. God sent the Holy Spirit with a promise to be with us always. We are never alone in this challenging life.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Loving God, thank you for holding us always through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I always have a companion in the Holy Spirit.
PRAYER FOCUS
People who have lost homes to fire
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More From Gael Stuart Phaneuf
The Upper Room Devotional for 7th September 2023 Message, is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. Read More.
