Some days everything seems to go wrong!

Every phone call brings bad news. The mails are demanding… The children come home from school with some kind of injury or a bad report. Work is frustrating. Health is disturbing. Friends are leaving… Foes are threatening… What do you do when you have one of these days?

Here’s a man who was fainting and failing. The psalmist! He was like a wineskin in the smoke. Wherever he walked there was a pit for him to drop into. What did he do? He turned to God!

His source of hope was His Word. “My soul faints for Your salvation…For I have become like a wineskin in smoke, yet I do not forget Your statutes…. The proud have dug pits for me, which is not according to Your law” (Psalm 119:81-83,85).

He told God!! “My eyes fail from searching Your word, saying, ‘When will You comfort me?”

People will fail you, but God never will. The psalmist clung to the comfort, hope and faithfulness of God, and as a result he experienced revival.

“Revive me according to Your lovingkindness” (v 88).

God came with a Breath of fresh, heavenly air –
– the Holy Spirit –
– and revived him.

He trusted in God!!!
“…but I hope in Your word”.

“All Your commandments are faithful” (v 86).

If you hope in circumstances, you will be disappointed, because they change.

The psalmist hoped in the Word and trusted in God’s faithfulness, and God comforted him.

“Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence…” (Proverbs 3:24-25).

Thank God for His faithfulness! If you are having a rough day, remember that you can depend on Him and Him alone!

God is your Confidence! And He will revive you, release you and reward you!

(PR)

The post God is Your Confidence appeared first on My Manna.

God is not only interested in the big things that concern you; He is interested in the little things too. Sometimes we may think, “This problem is too small to bother God with. God is only interested in big things.”

But God really is interested in the little things that trouble us.

He is paying attention!

The Bible says that He knows about the little sparrow that falls to the ground (Matthew 10:29). He knows how many hairs we have on our heads.

“You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?” (Psalm 56:8).

God knows every tear you shed. God knows what is troubling you right now.

He cares about the prayers of the smallest children as much as He cares about the prayers of their parents or their grandparents.

That is why the Bible says, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

He is praying for you!!

Many times when we are going through times of trial or times of hardship, we can’t see God. Nor can we feel God.

But God sees us. Proverbs 15:3 reminds us, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” The Bible also tells us that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:26, 34).

He is planning for you!!!

You may be at your wit’s end. You cannot think or act because you are perplexed and overwhelmed by your own problem(s). But He is working out the details of your deliverance!

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19).

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

Are you praising Him now?

(PR)

The post Cast All Your Care Upon Him appeared first on My Manna.

“Set me free from my prison” (Psalm 142:7).

The heading given to this psalm by the ancient scribes invites us to think of David, falsely accused, on the run, hiding in a cave (1 Sam. 22:1).
We might also think of Paul in Ephesus (and quite possibly in prison), “under great pressure,” feeling he had received “a sentence of death,” forced to rely on “God who raises the dead” (2 Cor 1:8-11).

Our prisons may be literal, economic or a depressive state of mind in which it seems that everyone is against us and no one cares. If that is what we face or feel, we need to see that the psalmist did not stay in prison. He reached a point where he was able to declare: “You are … my portion” (v 5).

These words recall the tradition that the Levites who served the tabernacle received no share when the land was divided (Num 18:20). Instead God said to them, “I am your portion.” How
does the psalmist move-
– from “prison” to “portion”?

Through this prayer!
If we read the psalm 142 in three sections, vs. 1-3a, 3b-5 and 6,7:
– we will notice that each section begins with a description of the psalmist’s plight and ends with an expression of confidence! This surely is what it means to wrestle in prayer. Pouring out complaint gives way to the realization that God knows my way. The feeling that no one cares gives way to the conviction that God is both refuge and portion. Desperate need is replaced by the expectation of deliverance!

Is there any “prison” from which you need to be released?
– A debt, disease, depression, den of lions, demonic habit or an actual prison?
If so –

Use this psalm 147 as a model for “wrestling” with God in prayer!
May the Lord set you free from that prison! And grant you His glorious freedom and portion!! Any you will be filled with His praises!!!

(PR)

The post From Prison to Portion appeared first on My Manna.

“The Evening and the Morning were the First Day” (Genesis 1:5). 

How different is God’s method from man’s!
The creature works from day to night!
His best is first.
The Creator’s days begin with the preceding eve.

To Him-
Evening first!
Then morning!!

Are you disappointed in Christian life/work?
Remember that God wrought on through long dark ages-
– before His plans were evolved in order and beauty!

The foundation-stone of redemption was laid amid the gloom of Calvary!!
Are you passing through the bitterness?

For weeks there has been no ray of comfort, no sign of deliverance.
Yet every dark hour is hastening toward the dawn.

You shall see your Beloved walking toward you in the morning light.
Are you in despair?

The times are dark, and threaten to get darker.
But if the first creation began in the dark,

Can it be wondered at that the second must begin there to?
But as the one emerged in daylight, so shall the other.

The morning comes!
See the star of day standing sentry!

“For…weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning!” Psalm 30:5.

(PR)

The post See the Star appeared first on My Manna.

You were created to know three worlds!

The spiritual, psychological, and material worlds.
These can be considered-
– the world above us,
– the world within us, and
– the world around us.

These worlds are related to the three parts of our human nature:
– spirit, soul, and body!

When you are rightly related to the material world with your body-
– you are healthy!

When you are rightly related to the psychological world with your soul-
– you are happy!!

And when you are rightly related to the spiritual world in your spirit-
– you are holy!!!

God’s aim is that ultimately you are to experience all three realities:
– health, happiness, and holiness!

Take a snapshot inventory of your life!

Where do you need to start making changes to live a healthier lifestyle?
What is your emotional barometer telling you about how you see others and yourself?

Do you know of any area in your life-
– where you are not living in obedience to the call of holy living?
“…dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves..” 2 Corinthians 7:1.

(PR)

The post Take a Snapshot appeared first on My Manna.

Are you facing a problem-
– that you need to be solved?

We can learn a lot about problem-solving-
– by reading the miracle Jesus performed in the feeding of the 5,000.

When Jesus and the disciples discovered thousands of hungry people-
He asked Philip, “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” John 6:5.

Jesus wasn’t asking for information.
He already knew what He was going to do. 6:6.

Instead He was trying to give Philip a revelation-
– that we should never assess our problems in the light of our own resources or strength.

We have no right to ask the world to believe our message-
– unless there is something about us that is unexplainable and supernatural.

There must be a divine dimension to our lives.

What does Proverbs 3:5-6 tell you to do-
– when faced with a problem?
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight”.

(PR)

The post Divine Dimension appeared first on My Manna.

“Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives” (2 Peter 3:11).

In the 1800s, an American tourist stopped by the home of Polish rabbi Chofetz Chaim.

The tourist was surprised to find a simple dwelling place filled only with books, a table, and a bench. The tourist asked the rabbi, “Where is all your furniture?”
To which the rabbi replied, “Where is yours?”

The puzzled American said, “Mine? But I’m only a visitor here. I’m only passing through.”
To which the wise Chaim replied, “And I am simply a visitor here on this earth. I’m only passing through.”

Scripture talks about heaven in three different ways:
The celestial and magnificent universe. Psalm 19:1.
The great expanse of space surrounding the earth or its atmosphere. Genesis 1:8.
And the sought-after home of God. Hebrews 4:14.

Heaven is a reality for believers.
The fact that we will one day live forever in the presence of God Almighty is a fundamental doctrine of our faith.

However, the Bible gives several other glimpses into what this heavenly dwelling place will be like.
Heaven is a place prepared for believers where we will spend eternity with God. John 14:1-3.

In heaven, there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. Revelation 21:1-7.
It will be in heaven that we will be like Christ and will recognize one another.1 John 3:2.

I want to challenge you to live in the light of eternity!
– as if you’re just passing through this old earth!!

(PR)

The post Live in the Light of Eternity appeared first on My Manna.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Have you ever struggled with God’s promises to you? Has it ever seemed like there was no end in sight to the storm you were facing?

Sometimes when you are going through hardship, you wonder – When am I going to get through this? When is this storm cloud going to go away? When are things going to get better?

It reminds of the Gospel account of Jesus and His disciples at the Sea of Galilee, when He sent them ahead by boat to the other side. But as they were making their way across, a huge storm came along. It got worse and worse. The disciples began to despair of their very lives.

Matthew’s Gospel tells us that during the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came to them (Matt 14:25). The fourth watch is that time of night just before dawn, meaning that the disciples had been at sea fighting this storm and trying to get out of it for eight long hours. Then when the storm was raging, when it seemed like it would go on forever, Jesus came to them, walking on the water.

Many times He will come to us in the fourth watch. We pray, “Oh, Lord, come through now. Do it now.” But the Lord says, “Hang on. I will be there when the time is right.”

Along with His will, God has His timing. Sometimes we grow anxious. Sometimes we want things to happen a little more quickly than they ought to.

But God has His timing. And He is never late!

(PR)

The post In His Timing appeared first on My Manna.

In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength (Isaiah 30:15).

It is always weakness to be fretting and worrying, questioning and mistrusting. What can we do if we wear ourselves to skin and bone? Can we gain anything by fearing and fuming? Do we not unfit ourselves for action and unhinge our minds for wise decision? We are sinking by our struggles when we might float by our faith.

Be quiet in the Lord! Why run from house to house to repeat the weary story which makes you more and more heart-sick as you tell it? Why even stay at home to cry out in agony because of wretched forebodings which may never be fulfilled? It would be well to keep a quiet tongue, but it would be far better if we had a quiet heart. Be still and know that He is God!

Be confident in your God! The Holy One of Israel must defend and deliver His own. He cannot run back from His solemn declarations. We may make sure that every word of His will stand though the mountains should depart. He deserves to be confided in; and if we would display confidence and consequent quietness, we might be as happy as the spirits before the throne.

Return unto your rest! Relax upon the Lord Jesus!

(PR)

The post Return Unto Your Rest appeared first on My Manna.

The next time you feel at rock bottom, read Psalm 130. “Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord” (v1). Three basic requests in this psalm echo the concerns in our hearts today.

First, the psalmist asks God to hear him. “Lord, hear my voice!” (v 2).

Why? “I can’t swim; I am in the deep waters, and they are coming over my head. I am drowning, and I’m afraid I can’t make it.” No matter how far down you may go or feel, God always hears you.

Then he asks God to hold him. “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared” (v 3, 4). We can’t stand before God in the courtroom of His justice; we are helpless.

Only Jesus Christ can stand there, because only He is perfect. But He stands with us, He’s our Savior. God not only hears us when we are down, but He holds us. He says, “I forgive you. You’ve trusted my Son; you’ve confessed your sin; and now you can stand before Me.”

The psalmist expresses his confidence in this truth: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning” (v 5, 6).

Next he asks God to help him. “O Israel, hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption” (v 7). We are sometimes like soldiers in the watchtower, waiting for the light. We can’t see, but God can see, and there is a future hope for His people.

Place your confidence in the promises of God’s Word. No matter how down you may feel – God hears you, holds you and helps you! Turn to Him; He’ll see you through.

(PR)

The post He Will See You Through appeared first on My Manna.