[Membersandfriends] Saturday, December 11, 2004

Fri Dec 10 22:01:34 PST 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Saturday, December 11, 2004

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The Gift that Lasts All Year

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WHEN ALL IS LOST
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Matthew 27:45-50 (NRSV)

>From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah." At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.

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I say to God, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me?  Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?"
-- Psalm 42:9 (NRSV)
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EVENTS in my life made me feel as if I had been abandoned by people and by God.  Usually when people fail me, I turn to God.  But for several years when I have felt broken in heart and mind, I have also felt as if God has abandoned me.

Then I read how Jesus was tested and what he overcame for our sake.  Like me, Jesus felt abandoned by people and even by God the Father.  That made me realize that Jesus Christ is in my wilderness experience with me.  Even more remarkable is the fact that Jesus Christ chose to identify with us in the pain and loss of being human, when he could have remained in the bliss and joy of heaven.  

My wilderness experience helped me to realize the truth of another statement, this one in Ephesians 4:10: "He fill(s) the whole universe."  I'm not totally out of my wilderness yet, but I cling to this promise: "God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day" (Ps. 46:5).

Prayer:  Dear Loving God, thank you for being with us in our darkest experiences.  Thank you for being with us even when we feel abandoned and alone.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
When we face the wilderness, we can take comfort in knowing that Christ understands and is with us.

-- Sarah Chee (Singapore)

PRAYER FOCUS: Those in a spiritual wilderness

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RELATED READING ...

In the book TO WALK IN INTEGRITY author Stephen Doughty examines the biblical understanding of integrity and provides a model for spiritual leadership in times of crisis. This new resource is especially relevant for both clergy and lay leaders.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=203423

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The scripture quotation is from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible, copyright (c) 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.