Manna for Your Morning

I called on Your name, O Yahweh, out of the lowest pit. You have heard my voice, “Do not hide Your ear from my prayer for relief, from my cry for help.” You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not fear!” — Lamentations 3:55-57 (LSB) Our heavenly Father hears His children when they call  upon Him for help and He is faithful to deliver us from all our troubles. Psalms 34:17 (NKJV) says: The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. “For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love.” (Lamentations 3:31-32 NLT) Psalms 97:10 (NKJV) says, He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.  And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O Yahweh, have not forsaken those who seek You. — Psalms 9:10 (LSB)

When the LORD saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: “Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief…” — 2 Chronicles 12:7 (NLT) In 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT), the LORD says, “…if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” Relief for the people and restoration of the land comes when the people of God humble themselves and seek His face. Pride causes people to manipulate situations and try to force their own way, but the humble seek God’s will. They are led by the Spirit of God and do things His way, which always lines up with His Word. “I warned the proud, ‘Stop your boasting!’ I told the wicked, ‘Don’t raise your fists! Don’t raise your fists in defiance at the heavens or speak with such arrogance.’” For no one on earth—from east or west, or even from...

LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.  — Psalm 143:1 (NIV) Because He is faithful and righteous, our heavenly Father comes to our relief. Even when our backs are turned toward Him, our God remains faithful. For He is the LORD, He does not change (Malachi 3:6). He delivers the righteous out of all their troubles. In Psalm 50:15 God says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer. Psalm 4:1 (NIV) Relief. When I uttered those words this morning, my muscles relaxed and God's calming, soothing Spirit washed over me. He took my nerves which were like a rubberband stretched to its maximum limit and laid each one out in His peaceful, yet powerful, Presence. I felt the warm glow of relief and exhaled. As the Amplified Bible says, God frees us up when we are hemmed in and enlarges us when we are in distress (Psalm 4:1). Because of He who is in us, we are larger than anything that comes against us. How do YOU spell relief? I spell it, G O D. Remember to slow down. Sit in His Presence and unwind. Loosen up. He will give you relief.

He told them to celebrate these days with feasting and gladness and by giving gifts of food to each other and presents to the poor. This would commemorate a time when the Jews gained relief from their enemies, when their sorrow was turned into gladness and their mourning into joy. Esther 9:22 (NLT) Haman, an enemy of the Jewish people, issued letters with orders to destroy, kill and completely wipe out all the Jewish people. However, with God's favor on His people, the King gave the Jewish people the right to protect themselves, to destroy, kill and completely wipe out those who attacked them. On the day that was set for their destruction, the Jewish people defeated all their enemies, killing and destroying them. God gave them relief from their enemies and turned their sorrow into gladness, their mourning into joy. This is how God works on behalf of His people. All things are possible when you are on God's side. Things are never as bad as your enemy would have you believe. God ...