Words of Hope During COVID-19
Wessel Bentley, author of The Miracles of Jesus and other books, compares the COVID lockdown to the biblical story of the disciples sitting in a boat on a storm-tossed lake. Jesus comes to them in their crisis; he will also come to us in the midst of ours.
Today’s Reflection
Sitting alone late last night, I entered a spirit-conversation with my Lord. As I sat there perfectly still in body and mind—not praying, not talking, not thinking, not moving—I felt a soothing calm come over me. It was like I had found a gold mine of peace deep within. In the quiet, love was spoken again and again until my grief was temporarily lifted. I had the strange sensation that I was learning to befriend the emptiness.
—Nell E. Noonan, A Widow’s Prayer: Finding God’s Grace in the Days Ahead (Upper Room Books, 2015)
Today’s Question
As you sit quietly with God, what might you receive? Join the conversation.
Today’s Scripture
Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!
—Psalm 27:14 (NRSV)
Prayer for the Week
God, help me listen to—and learn from—what you are teaching my heart today.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
Interested in online learning options based on your favorite Upper Room books? Check out The Upper Room eLearning.
Lectionary Readings
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.
10 Comments
Quieting myself before Him allows space for gratitude, introspection, a stilling of time. I desire that He imbed His truth and Word deeper inside me, roots strengthening and more hunger for His transformative work. A quiet contentment.
Yesterday, once the fog cleared – a beautiful day emerged. It was great to be out golfing, spending time with dad. I can so easily forget his age…86…and just assume he is strong and healthy. Play was fairly slow as many golfers were out enjoying the weather. With about 4 holes to go, he hit a bad shot and said “I am tired”. I don’t think of him tiring. But, of course, he was. He had gotten up “early” to hit the grocery store at 7 AM. This was his first time in a store in over 2 months. He is itching to get back to some semblance of normalcy and routine. He was also sore from planting all three flats of flowers at one time. He can easily overdo things – he, too, forgetting his age and taking for granted how good he feels.
Praying for you and your Dad, Jill. I’m so happy the two of you got out for golf today. 86! That’s better than I’d be able to do! Still, maybe hit a nine-hole golf course next time. The future is going to be a new normal for a little time. This virus was not sent by our loving Father. I have heard Christians saying this and am reminded of HIV. That is not how God works. Not after Jesus Christ. I have to be extremely careful. I have accepted it with God’s help and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. You and your Dad are healthier than I am! Blessings, Jill.
It is wonderful to see Marcy back. A prayer of thanks!
I have a challenging time relating to my sister, and that has emerged in our contact about our elderly aunt who has dementia and Covid-19. My family-of-origin’s dynamics, even all these many decades later, still at times cause me anxiety and pain. However, with the maturity of age, I find I can more readily stop myself from being hard on myself about it, stop myself from feeling resentful, let it go, and give it to God.
I love these short, powerful reflections from UR. Comments by UR friends further enhance my time of reflection, and I value the connection with you.
With my prayers for you and your loved ones. Wishing all a blessed day.
Prayers for you, Andrea, and your aunt and family, may all heal physically and emotionally.
I am praying for you, your sister and your aunt, Andrea. It is good to be among you all again. Prayers anchored in God’s Love! 🙏⚓❤
I would like to think I, too, would feel the calm. I would also like to feel strength and assurance. I want for Him to lead me.
Prayers for Jill and Larry, as they continue to fiind a new normal, navigating both the world wide new normal and the grieving new normal. Prayers of gratitude that Larry is able to recognize and acknowledge his limitations and speak of his needs. Prayers for his continued health. I was thinking about the fog that I also experienced yesterday morning and it lent itself im my mind to a comparison to our human fog. The fog of everyday busy-ness and chaos that prevents us from seeing God’s presence with us. Just as the fog obscures the landscape, our fog that is filled with tasks and preoccupation prevent us from seeing God’s gifts and leadings. Perhaps this time of forced stillness is our noonday sun, revealing God clearly, for He was there always.
Prayers for Ally and David and their fur babbies. The constant posters all have feline children. A coincidence, I think not. Prayers for David’s full recovery and a team of helpers to assist Ally. I continue to believe in your strength,Ally, and I believe you “have got this.”
Prayers for Robert and his ailing keyboard. I pray you get a new one soon so we can “hear” longer missives from you as we miss your train and history updates.
Prayers for Marcy and Lucy, may they both stay safe and healthy and continue to update us and post such wonderful notes
Prayers and thank you and continued health dear UR
Thank you for your prayers, Julie. You always have such a way with words that conveymy thoughts better than I can. Yes, for many it is the new normal and will be for some time. I’ve accepted this, because I’m not done living yet. However, God’s will, not mine. I’m taking all the precautions. Lucy says Hi to Tazzie! 🐱🐈🐾 I continue to pray for the world. 🙏💚🌍💙🌎💚🌏💙 🙏⚓❤🌻🌿🌼🌱🌷
Many times it is hard for me to sit quietly – quieting my mind is so difficult. I don’t like to admit that – I think as a psychologist I should “know” how to do that- haha. I always have something that I am thinking about or something I think needs to be done. Psalm 27- that was beautiful – wait for the Lord. I am waiting and praying always for God to guide me – I am in a searching phase of my life – I’ve started journaling to help me and re-reading this morning there is much about waiting, trusting in Gods timing and plan, and faith and belief.
God help us be still and quiet and listen for your voice in these troubled times where many are worried and suffering – have mercy on us this day and always. I am thankful my family is doing ok in the sheltering in that for us lasts until end of May- prayers for all of you this day.
Lou, I will keep you on my prayers. As always. I pray that your family stays safe and well. When the bans are lifted, I pray we don’t lose too many more. I guess I’m used to not going anywhere that much. The shutdown doesn’t affect me that way. But the unemployment is rampant. What is worse, I wonder? I must leave it to God, our Father in Heaven. Sending prayers and Love to you! 💌🙏💖❤🐱💛💚🐈💙💜
Good evening UR family and friends! I am terribly late today, but it has been another brand new day, a blessed Sunday, with our Father. I am still taken by quiet moments of meditation with God. “Be,,,,,Still…..Know…..God…..” I dream of my Aunt some nights. Good dreams. Assurance mixed with memories. My Aunt and Uncle’s house was a place of refuge during my childhood. Not that it was awful at home, but there was a lot of yelling and fear. Many have had much worse experiences. I used to go in the washroom at home, kneel by the bathtub and pray to God. In the summer, at my late Aunt and Uncle’s house, I’d go visit for a week every month. My maternal grandmother lived with them. Oh, how I loved my Grandma J! We lost her when I was sixteen. My cousins, one older than I,, the other my age, both boys, were fun to hang out with. Mostly the one my age. We’d laugh so hard, it hurt! 😀 I slept with my Grandma in her big bed, cuddled up. I still remember the smell of her perfume. Emeraude by Coty. Another godly woman who shaped my life with God. Be…..Still…..Know…..God…..🙏🙏😇😇🎵🎶🎹🎼🙏🙏
Thank you, Jill, Julie, Robert, Ally, Rick and Andrea, for your kind comments and prayers of support. More tomorrow, as time permits. My helper will be back, things to be done around the apartment. I replying to each of you for Saturday and Sunday.
And these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love; and the greatest of these is LOVE! Prayers to each of you anchored in God’s Love! 🙏⚓❤🙏⚓❤🙏⚓❤🙏⚓❤🙏⚓❤🙏⚓❤🙏⚓❤
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