Manna for Your Morning

“You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” — Psalms 145:16-18 (NKJV) “O LORD, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you.” (Psalms 5:1-2 NLT) “…in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.” (2 Samuel 22:7 NLT) He will send from heaven and save me; He calls to account him who tramples me down. Selah. God will send out His lovingkindness and His truth. (Psalms 57:3 AMP) Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. (Isaiah 55:6 NLT) ...You, O Yahweh, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was calling to Yahweh with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah. — Psalms 3:3-4 (LSB)

...behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” — Matthew 9:18 (NKJV) When Jesus went in and took the ruler’s daughter by the hand, the girl arose. (Matthew 9:25)  When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” And their eyes were opened… (Matthew 9:27, 29-30) In Matthew 8:14-15, Jesus saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. A touch from Jesus makes dead things, come alive again. Those with blind eyes are able to see again, after a touch of His hand. His touch brings healing, strength and restoration. What or who in your life needs to be touched by Jesus? May we humble ourselves, worship the King, and acknowledge that we need to live with the touch of His ...

The steps of a man are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. — Psalm 37:23-24 (NASB) We are never alone. The LORD is our constant companion. “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.” (Matthew 6:34 MSG)  He delights in every detail of our lives. (Psalm 37:23b NLT) When we stumble He is there to catch us. When we cry, He puts our tears into His bottle (Psalm 56:8)  The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. (Psalm 32:8 NLT) Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way. (Psalm 16:11 MSG)

The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand. — Psalm 37:23-24 (NLT) When you stumble, the LORD will hold you up. When all others desert you, it is the LORD who stands by your side. When you find yourself in a pit, He will reach down and pull you out. Our heavenly Father attends to every detail of our lives. Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. (Psalm 37:3 NKJV)

The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. — Psalm 37:23 (NLT) As long as you are following the LORD, you can take every step in faith, knowing that He is with you and His plans for you are good, to give you a future and a hope. He delights to be involved in every detail of our lives. When it comes to us, He leaves nothing to chance. Though we may fall, we shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps our hand in support and upholds us. (Psalm 37:24 AMP). Let us be grateful that He cares enough to be concerned.

Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?” — Romans 15:1 (MSG) Even though our society is concerned about what is convenient, what we learned in school of ministry last night is that any area of strength we have is to be used to serve others. You will find true joy when you keep your eyes on Jesus and Others instead of yourself.

But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. — Psalm 31:14-15 (NKJV) Trust in the LORD. We can take comfort in knowing that our times are in His hand. All our days were written in His book before one of them came to be. When the righteous cry out, the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles (Psalm 34:17). The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace (Psalm 29:11).

When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”  — Psalms 27:8 (NKJV) I believe we are looking at the face of God when we reach our hand out to help those in need. Or when we turn the other cheek at offense and go the extra mile with a friend. When we love and pray for our enemies, His face is shining upon us. May we continually seek His face!

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. — Psalm 139:7-10 (NKJV) When we have done or said something contrary to the nature and character of God, we often try to hide, like Adam did in the Garden of Eden. But no matter where we go, our heavenly Father is there. Even the darkness does not hide us from Him (Psalm 139-11-12). What is helpful for us to remember is that He is not there to beat us up, but to pick us up and guide us back onto the path of life and into fellowship with Him. Instead of running away, return to Him and be restored.

But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. — Isaiah 64:8 (NKJV) Our heavenly Father does the molding, but we need to stay on His wheel. Let us present ourselves to Him, moment by moment, as living sacrifices. Lay your heart on His altar and let Him soften it and shape it to be more like His. Allow the touch of His loving hands to set it on fire. Renew your mind according to His Word. As the clay is in the potter’s hand, may we also be in the hand of the Master.

“O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!” — 1 Chronicles 29:13-14 (NLT)  Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father (James 1:17). Let us give Him thanks, and praise His glorious name! All that we have, His generous hand has provided. May we be wise stewards of all that God has so graciously entrusted to us: our finances, our children, our spouses, material possessions, etc.

O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle. — Psalm 140:7(NKJV) Not only does the LORD cover your head, He has enclosed you behind and before, 
and laid His hand upon you (Psalm 139:5 NASB). Our heavenly Father is our hiding place; He shall preserve us from trouble; He shall surround us with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7). The LORD is a shield to all who trust in Him (Psalm 18:30). He loves us with an everlasting love; with lovingkindness He has drawn us to Himself and He constantly watches over us. Glory hallelujah!

  He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. — Psalm 121:3-4 (NKJV) The LORD is your keeper (Psalm 121:5). Even when you walk through the darkest valley, do not be afraid, because He is with you. Our awesome God is not asleep and He takes no vacation. He is always there when you need Him. Set the Lord continually before you; because He is at your right hand, you shall not be moved (Psalm 16:8).

The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.  — Psalm 121:5 (NLT) When calamity comes, people have a tendency to ask, “Where was God?” He is where He always is, right by your side. His eye constantly watches over you. He is there to catch every tear that rolls down your cheek. When someone does you wrong and you are devastated, all the broken pieces of your heart fall in His hand. He is there to bring healing and restoration. He carries you when you don't have the strength to walk. Our heavenly Father turns your sorrow into joy. Every tear that was sown reaps a harvest of joy. Those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing (Psalm 125:6, The Message).

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”  — Isaiah 41:10 (NLT) No need to be discouraged or afraid, for our God is with us. He gives us the strength to endure and helps us to be victorious. He will hold you up above the circumstances of your life and cause you to be more than a conqueror. Amen!

God, you did everything you promised, and I’m thanking you with all my heart. You pulled me from the brink of death, my feet from the cliff-edge of doom. Now I stroll at leisure with God in the sunlit fields of life.  — Psalm 56:12-13 (The Message) Our God is faithful. He will do, in your life, all that He has promised. When circumstances were tumbling out of control and I felt my life was doomed, the hand of the LORD reached down and pulled me up and set my feet on the Rock. When you despair even of life itself, BELIEVE that you will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13). Walk hand-in-hand with our Maker, in His life-giving light.

The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.  — Psalm 37:23-24 (NLT) God is in every detail of your life. He knows the number of hairs on your head. All of your days were written in His book, before you were born. Nothing that happens in your life catches God by surprise. He has already worked out every challenge you face. Make each step, a step of faith as you follow the path He sets before you, and you will overcome any obstacles and live a victorious life.

...the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. — Daniel 5:23b (NKJV) How do we bring glory to the God who gives us the very breath of life? LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30) and seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). We honor God by letting the death and resurrection of Jesus make a difference in how we live our lives today. By letting His love, His patience and His peace shine through us in all our interactions with others (our spouses, children, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, boss, etc.). And by living in the victory, that Jesus has already provided for us. We glorify God, by becoming more and more like Him, each and every day. Amen!

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.  — Psalm 95:6-7 (NKJV) Being on your knees is a sign of submission and humility. Let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker and acknowledge that He is God, a great and awesome God. When a man kneels before a woman to ask for her hand in marriage, he puts himself in a position of vulnerability, to the one he loves. Let us make ourselves vulnerable before our God. Put your heart on His altar and fully avail yourself to Him. Nothing we admit to God is going to shock Him. He already knows the condition of our hearts. Opening the door of our hearts to our heavenly Father is just the first step to receiving the help and healing we so desperately need.

The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.  — Psalm 145:15-16 (NKJV) God is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. He not only provides food for our physical bodies, He also gives us His Word to feed us spiritually. You can be sure that God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). He opens His hand, and we are satisfied. Keep your eyes on the LORD and patiently wait, with expectation. He does not disappoint. “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” (Genesis 22:14).