Morning Manna by Rufus Parker: Morning Manna by Rufus Parker

Saturday, August 23, 2025

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2025 August 23

Rejoice Anyhow

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

Today’s Morsel: Many Christians lose their joy and excitement when they get bad news from the doctor, lose their job, are made fun of for being a Christian, or told by their employer that they must work on Sunday. But none of these things ought to be able to steal your joy and excitement. Paul tells us, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” (Philippians 4:4-9) Notice, rejoice. The verse emphasizes the importance of maintaining a joyful attitude rooted in one’s relationship with God. Regardless of our circumstances or situations, we are commanded to rejoice in the Lord always. It’s an attitude adjustment. It’s a mindset that must be learned and used always. We just don’t rejoice when we are up on the mountain, we rejoice when we are in the valley, as the same God on the mountain is with us in the valley, too. Habakkuk said that although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Bad times or good times, rejoicing must not cease from your lips.

Sing: But the God on the mountain, He’s still God in the valley, when things go wrong, He’ll make them right. And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times, and the God of the day, is still God in the night.

We talk of faith, when we’re up on the mountain, but faith comes easy, when life is at its best. But down in the valley, of trials and temptations, oh friend that’s where your faith is really put to the test.

But the God on the mountain, He’s still God in the valley, when things go wrong, He’ll make them right. And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times, and the God of the day, is still God in the night.

Thought For Today: “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.” (Psalms 57:7)

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About Morning Manna

And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat (Exodus 16:10-15).

“Morning Manna” is a short daily devotion which began in 2002, with just a short note of encouragement to a friend who was facing difficulties at the time. Through their response, I was encouraged to begin a daily devotion via email and send it to people who asked to be put on the distribution list. It is now reaching around the globe. Its birth came about during Morning Prayer. The Lord revealed to me that I should forward my friend a word of encouragement, since it is through patience and comfort of the scripture that we find hope. Thus, I forwarded him the words the Lord had given to me for him, and he forwarded it on to someone else who was having difficulties in their life as well, and thus the original list began.

The goal of “Morning Manna” is to provide people with a quick, thought provoking Word from the Lord, as well as provide encouragement from His Word that can help them through the day and during unexpected trails and circumstances in their daily lives.

Several years ago, Jesus moved on my heart to start writing daily devotions; thus began “Morning Manna”. Today, many people are receiving these daily devotions and many of these people are forwarding it on to their family and friends. It is my hope to encourage even more through posting the devotions to this blog-page.

I pray that you, too, will enjoy reading the manna from this site.