Manna in the Morning

Amy Carmichael was a missionary to South India. Had she never experienced suffering, her name would probably not be well known today. She spent 56 years on the mission field and never returned home to England on furlough. An accident damaged her leg and left her bedridden for the last 20 years of her life. It was during these years in bed that she wrote most of her 40 books. God used her experience of suffering to bring encouragement to millions of people. It was her understanding of God’s ability to fulfill the promise of Romans 8:28 that led Miss Carmichael to write, “A wise master never wastes his servant’s time.” In other words, no matter what set of circumstances we receive, God will not waste an experience if we remain obedient to him. The promise of Romans 8:28 is, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Whatever your find yourself dealing with today... remember... God can use it for your good and His glory.

Have you ever heard the expression, “She’s got a bee in her bonnet?” Or, you might have heard a similar one, “He’s got a burr under his saddle.” Both indicate that the person being referred to is particularly upset about something. Author Max Lucado tells about his boyhood days of playing football out in the West Texas fields. The fields where Max and his friends played were full of grass burrs that stuck in their skin. Sometimes, after a big tackle, a player would have a leg or arm full of grass burrs. They stung horribly. The game came to a stop while the player pulled out each of the burrs. Some players wanted to keep on playing in spite of the burrs, but it was usually too painful. Lucado trusted no one but his father to pull out his burrs. So, he would leave the game, go home, and get his father to pull out every last burr, then he would return to the game. Friends, there are some burrs that only our Father in heaven can remove. Fortunately, God will remove them if we trust ourselves to Him. The Bible urges us to “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (I Peter 5:7)

Jimmy dean once said, “If I could give the world any advice, I’d tell ‘em exactly like my great-granddaddy told me. He said, ‘Jimmy, be yourself. Because if people don’t like you as you are, they’re not going to like you as somebody you’re trying to be.’ Generally, I’ve followed that advice. In the moments I haven’t, I’ve gotten into more trouble than a centipede with fallen arches.” The Apostle Paul spoke in a similar fashion in his letter to the church at Ephesus when he said, “So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body...” (Eph. 4:25) In another place we are reminded about being sincere... which literally means true and genuine... without any facade or mask. And yet we are also urged to “imitate or be like God.” Could it be that we are really being our best selves when we are trying to be like the God in whose image we have been created? Could it be that God wants us to yield our individual personalities to Him so that He can shine through for His glory? So, for today and everyday... be yourself... your best self... the self that God can use.

Psalm 27:1-3 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord protects me from danger—so why should I tremble? When evil people come to destroy me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will know no fear.” Contrast that confidence with the conclusion of well-know American internist who expressed that “In spite of what they say, 90% of the chronic patients who see today’s physicians have one common symptom. Their trouble did not start with cough or chest pain or hyperactivity. In 90% of the cases, the first symptom was fear. Fear of losing a job, of old age, of being exposed—sooner or later this fear manifests itself as a ‘clinical symptom.” Trust in God will allow you to face this day and all of its challenges... not with fear but with confidence in God’s presence and power! There is no greater peace than that which calms the heart by the firm trust that God is on His throne and we need not fear. That is the blessing of experiencing the “peace that passes all understanding.”

I love that verse in the Book of Revelation that says, “For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him!” (Rev. 19:6-7) There is a great story about Harold and Don Reid, two of the legendary Statler Brothers. Their father had passed away, and they would take their mother to some of their concerts in hopes that it would help her cope with her grief. They would sit her on the front row so that she might enjoy the show. One night, after finishing their part of the show and turning the stage over to Johnny Cash, they went back to their dressing room. A little while later a stagehand came in and said that they might want to know that their mother was crying. When they came to the side of the stage, they saw that Johnny Cash was singing to their mother. Knowing her grief, Johnny was singing the words to an old Stuart Hamblen hymn which say:

These things shall pass and some great morning
We’ll look back and smile at heartaches we have known
So don’t forget when storm clouds gather
The Lord our God is still King upon His throne!

 
No matter what we may have to deal with on this day... these words will give us the confidence we need to live victoriously. “The Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!”

Almost every edition of the newspaper that you can pick up will have various references to a “lack of peace in the world.” We hear about war in Libya... we’re still fighting in Afghanistan... the Middle East continues to strive for some semblance of peace... the people of Japan are unsettled... even in our own country and sometimes within our own families there is a lack of harmony. Was Longfellow right when he penned the words, “There is no peace on earth I said”? Jesus once said to His followers, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) J. Oswald Sanders wrote: “Peace is not the absence of conflict from life, but the ability to cope with it. Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.” To be sure the world hungers for peace and it will never come because (apologies to the country song) they are “looking for peace in all the wrong places!” There is only one sure place to find peace and that is in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Claim the peace and share it with others today!

One of the great yearnings of many in our world is to have peace...peace of mind...peace with others...peace with God. Isaiah wrote, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee. Trust in the Lord forever for in the Lord is everlasting strength.” (Isaiah 26:3-4) Dwight L. Moody has said that “as long as our mind is stayed on our dear selves, we will never have peace. Some people think more of themselves than of all the rest of the world. It is self in the morning, self at noon, and self at night. It is self when they wake up, and self when they go to bed. They are all the time looking at themselves and thinking about themselves, instead of “looking unto Jesus.” Faith is more of an outward look. Faith does not look within; as much as it looks without. It is not what I think, or what I feel, or what I have done, but it is what Jesus Christ is and has done, that is the important thing for us to dwell upon.” And, when we do, we will have peace...a peace that passes all understanding.