Manna for Your Morning

Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah  — Psalms 61:1-4 (NKJV) Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by. (Psalms 57:1 NKJV) How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. (Psalms 36:7) Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. (Psalms 63:7 NKJV)

But now, O Yahweh, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand. — Isaiah 64:8 (LSB) How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! 
Should the created thing say of the one who made it, “He didn’t make me”? “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ (See Isaiah 29:16 & 45:9 NLT) This is what the LORD says— the Holy One of Israel and your Creator: “Do you question what I do for my children? Do you give me orders about the work of my hands? I am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. With my hands I stretched out the heavens. All the stars are at my command.” (Isaiah 45:11-12 NLT) “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” (See Hebrews 3:15 NKJV) May our hearts be soft and pliable in the ha...

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. — 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NASB1995) We first need to humble ourselves, submit to God and trust His timing, to work all things together for good. Then we are able to cast all our cares, all our anxieties, all our worries, and all our concerns, once and for all, on Him, knowing that He cares about us, with deepest affection, and watches over us very carefully. (See 1 Peter 5:7 AMP) Amen.

Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” — Judges 6:13 (NASB1995) If you are in the midst of troubles, you may feel like Gideon and wonder why is all this happening? and where is Yahweh? May we always remember that even more important than “why” is “ Who .” No matter what we go through, we have not been abandoned. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (See Hebrews 13:5 NASB1995)  He is our help and our support. Don’t fear or be discouraged. He is with you. And He is still a miracle-working God. Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world [of si...

“ So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you .” — J oel 2:25 (NKJV) Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; (1 Peter 4:12 NASB). There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven— (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NASB1995) Psalm 119:71 (NLT) says: My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. We will endure some trials and troubles. We will experience suffering and pain, but know that our great and mighty God is a God of restoration. So after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation. (See 1 Peter 5:10) Psalm 23:3a (AMP) says: He refreshes and restores my soul (life). Job endured much suff...

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully] . — 1 Peter 5:6-7 (AMP) It is prideful to even think we are more capable to handle our challenges, than our heavenly Father. He is Elohim, the all-powerful One. He knows all, and sees all and He watches over us. His ways are higher and better than our ways. We can rely on Him, in all situations. Cast all your cares on Him. Let us clothe ourselves in humility, and seek the One from Whom our help comes. God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.

Do not yield to fear, for I am always near. Never turn your gaze from me, for I am your faithful God. I will infuse you with my strength and help you in every situation. I will hold you firmly with my victorious right hand.’ — Isaiah 41:10 (TPT) Our God is faithful, and He is always near. We have His strength to help us in every situation. Be confident that you will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13)

“Rain down, O heavens, from above, let the clouds pour down righteousness [all the blessings of God]; Let the earth open up, let salvation bear fruit, and righteousness spring up with it;  I, the LORD, have created it.” — Isaiah 45:8 (AMP) There is nothing we can do to earn salvation, we are saved by accepting Christ as our Savior. Just as the earth receives the rain that falls, we are to open our hearts and receive Christ, our King. When the rain waters the ground it causes growth and the bearing of fruit. When we receive Jesus in our hearts, and plant the Word of God (seed) on good soil, we will bloom in the Kingdom of God. And fruit will be produced in our lives. Be open to receive the Lord and all the wonderful blessings of God: salvation, love, joy, peace, righteousness, etc. “Open up, heavens, and rain. Clouds, pour out buckets of my goodness! Loosen up, earth, and bloom salvation; sprout right living. I, God, generate all this.” — Isaiah 45:8 (MSG)

We don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead! — 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (MSG) May whatever troubles come your way teach you to totally trust our mighty God. Trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]. (Proverbs 3:5-6 AMP)

But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. — Acts 28:3, 5 (NKJV) When it feels like the enemy has his teeth in you, shake it off. Have no fear, no weapon turned against you will succeed. God still reigns and His plans for you are good. Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge (Psalm 91:3-4 NIV). God will restore what the enemy has stolen and give you double for your trouble.

Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. — Psalm 37:5 (NKJV) Commit everything you do to the LORD. And make a decision to follow His ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). After you commit it to the LORD, trust Him to do what needs to be done to bring it to fruition in your life. He will ensure that you are equipped with everything you need at the appointed time and open doors that no man can shut. We can make our plans, but the LORD establishes our steps (Proverbs 16:9).

“For I am with you to save you and deliver you,” says the LORD. “I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.”  — Jeremiah 15:20B-21 (NKJV) The LORD is with you as a mighty, awesome One (Jeremiah 20:11). God is near, not far off. He will save you and deliver you from all your troubles (Psalm 34:17). He will  protect and guide you. He is our hope in the day of doom (Jeremiah 17:17). Amen.

Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!” — John 4:50-51 (NKJV) The son of a government official was sick. When the official heard where Jesus was, he went to Jesus and asked Him to go to Capernaum and heal his son, who was close to death. Jesus just spoke the word and the man 's son was healed. Do you take Jesus at His Word? Jesus said, “With God all things are possible.” (Mark 10:27) In Mark 9:23, He also said, “Everything is possible for the person who believes.” Have not doubt. There is nothing too difficult for Him!

One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4 (NIV) May we abide in the house of the LORD all of our days. One day spent in God's house, this beautiful place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches (Psalm 84:10, The Message). He hides us in His sanctuary and keeps us safe. In His Presence, there is fullness of joy and refreshment for our souls. Gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and delight yourself in His Presence.