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.

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)

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!”

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.

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.”

There’s a beautiful statement at the beginning of the 40th Psalm that reads, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” The term “inclined” literally means that God bent his ear in my direction. One of the wonderful things about our God is that he desires a close relationship with his children. He encourages us to pray...he assures us that we have his ear whenever we need it. The rest of the Psalm is also encouraging for us in our relationship with our Father in Heaven. “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God; many shall see it, and shall trust in the Lord...blessed is that man that makes the Lord his trust.” At the top of our to-do list for today should be conversation with God and seeking his counsel for all that we may attend to today. Trust in the Lord will not go unrewarded!

I know you’ve heard them. Those all-too-familiar expressions of exasperation. Here are a few of them:

Things are going from bad to worse.
Jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
Between a rock and a hard place.
Between the devil and the deep blue sea.
He said, “Cheer up, things could get worse,” so I cheered up—and sure enough, things got worse!
My mother told me there would be days like these, but she never said they would run in packs.

So, what can we do when we feel pressured and trapped by circumstances that seem to be more than we can handle? The Apostle Paul has an answer in Galatians 6. In verse 9 he urges, “Let us not lose heart.” In other words, don’t quit...don’t throw in the towel when things are tough. Stand firm. Be strong. Let God help.

In verse 10 he writes, “Let us do good.” In other words, don’t be destructive. Don’t just fuss and fume and fret. Rather, turn the whole situation over to God.

In verse 17 he says, “Let no one cause you trouble.” In other words, don’t let others have mastery over you. The throne of your heart belongs to your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

And finally, in verse 18 Paul says, “Let grace be with your spirit.” Just think about the grace of God that is able to flood your soul. Give it to God...He can handle it.