Manna in the Morning

There is an old church camp chorus that asked, “Are you downhearted?” The reply was to be sung with emphasis, “NO! NO! NO!” When the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Galatia he was encouraging them in their walk with Christ. One of the things he wrote was, “And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.” (Galatians 6:9) There are a great many things that tend to drag our spirits down. This world in which we live is not really conducive to victorious living. Problems and adverse circumstances sometimes overwhelm us. But, when our faith is in the One who is coming, “conquering and to conquer,” we are able to soar as eagles by trusting in God’s power. One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 43 which ends with this question and its answer: “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (Psalm 43:5). Trusting in our Lord can defeat discouragement. Jesus said, “Take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

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.

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!”

Once again we turn to Paul’s letter to the Romans chapter 12 verses 9-13 for what William Barclay calls “the Christian Life in Everyday Action.” It is a very appropriate title for this inspiring section of Scripture because it touches so much of what we face each and everyday. The last exhortation in verse twelve is to be “patient in affliction.” Another translation suggests that we “meet tribulation with triumphant fortitude.” I like that. Encountering troubles and trials is not a matter of “if” but “when.” The way of our journey is not always easy... sometimes there are bumps in the road. The day of our travel is not always sunny... sometimes the storms come. The path that we take in following Jesus is often met with adversity. When trials come we have a choice. We can either be beaten and discouraged or we can face the trial with a sense of victory because of our triumphant faith in Christ. Jesus once said, “In the world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33) Everything may not go the way we want it to today but with faith in God it can go His way! Today is Friday... that means Sunday’s coming. Be in church with the gathered body of Christ on the Lord’s Day and celebrate the victories that He has won for us!

The Bible abounds with reminders of the power and majesty of the God we worship. Jeremiah says, “Ah Lord God! Behold, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power and by Thine outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for Thee.” (32:17) Later in the same chapter, God says, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” (32:27). The angel Gabriel said similar words to Mary, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37). In the discussion about the rich young ruler, Jesus said, “The things impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18:27). There’s an old chorus that I like that says,

Got any rivers you think are
   uncrossable;
Got any mountains you can’t
   tunnel through?
God specializes in things tho’t
   impossible;
He does the things others cannot do.”

So, what’s your problem? Turn it over to God...there’s nothing that you and He can’t handle together.

One of the enemies of faith is undo criticism. From time to time we are all victims of the harshness of another’s attack. We should remember that God’s opinion is in the final analysis the only one that really matters. We should also remember that when we are criticized we are in fairly good company. It’s been reported that when the famous preacher Henry Ward Beecher preached in Brooklyn, New York, he carried a handful of flowers into the pulpit and placed them in a vase on the stand from which he spoke. The next day, the local newspaper carried lengthy articles condemning Beecher for desecrating the pulpit with flowers. When Samuel Morse was trying to get money from Congress for a telegraph line from Baltimore to Washington, he had to endure criticism from the press for 11 years. When Cyrus Field was trying to lay the first transatlantic cable, the newspapers denounced him as “a mad freak of stubborn ignorance.” Jesus also endured criticism from the religious sector of His day when He healed the sick on the Sabbath or when He rightly claimed to be the Son of God. So you see, we are in great company.

Today, I want to share with you some helpful words from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. These words are from the Message translation and are found in Matthew 6:19-32. “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being...If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds...[so] give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

One of the great promises of Scripture is when Jesus gave the Great Commission to His followers and closed it with the words, “And lo, I am with you always to the end of the age.” In another place He said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” What a great blessing it is to know that we do not have to travel life’s highway alone. Someone has written:

“It takes a lot of courage to put things in God’s hands. To give ourselves completely, our lives, our hopes, our plans; To follow where He leads us, and make His will our own. But all it takes is foolishness to go the way alone.”

You do not have to travel alone today. Claim God’s presence and He will walk with you every step of the way. Remember the hymn: Footprints of Jesus that make the pathway glow; We will follow the steps of Jesus where’er they go.”

How strong is your faith? I know that is a personal question but it is one that we need to ask ourselves from time to time. There was a time when Jesus was in a boat on the Sea of Galilee with his twelve disciples and a furious storm came up. The disciples feared for their lives even though the creator of the sea itself was resting peacefully in the boat. They out of fear for their safety woke Jesus up with “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” The first thing Jesus did before he settled the storm was to rebuke them for their small faith, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (Matthew 8:23-27). So, faith can be small or great...it can be deep or shallow. It can be strong or weak. How is your faith? Katherine Workman wrote, “Faith is not a hothouse plant that must be shielded from wind and rain, so delicate that it has to be protected, but is like the sturdy oak which becomes stronger with every wind that blows upon it. An easy time weakens faith, while strong trials strengthen it.” I pray that your faith is strong enough to weather any storm and face any trial!

Do you remember Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego? The three Hebrew young men who refused to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image. Because of their defiance to idolatry they were sentenced to be thrown into a fiery furnace. Listen to their statement of faith, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Now that’s what I call a resolution! To resolve to be faithful to God...no matter what. No room for fair-weather Christians here! The faithful resolve of these three Hebrew young men should inspire us for this day. We always need to remember: Our God is able!