Morning Manna by Rufus Parker: 2010 November 29

Monday, November 29, 2010

2010 November 29 - Morning Manna

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever "(Psalms 23:1-6).

Today's Morsel: How strong is your confidence in God? Is it as David's? Psalms 23 is often heard during the times of bereavement more than any other time. This has been known as the comforter psalm. This psalm seems to give people strength in those low-estate times more than some of the other ones. All of God's Word is designed to strengthen us in our affliction, but Psalms 23 seems to have a special place for many during those tough times. David, who had been through so much in his life, gives us a portrait of this psalm by using the analogy of a shepherd to His sheep. He says that the Lord is his shepherd. Jesus is our Shepherd (John 10:11&14). Therefore, He will protect us and provide for us. We have no need to fret of things and our needs as the Shepherd will provide them for us. David said that the shepherd (Jesus) will make us to lie down in green pastures and will lead us by still waters. Still waters run deep, and Jesus is the living water (John 4). When we are weak, lonely, and without joy, the Shepherd will restore our soul. He sends us help from the sanctuary and strengthengths us out of Zion (Psalms 20:1-2). And because we are His (1 John 3:1-4), His goodness and mercy will always be with us no matter where we are or where we go. So don't worry, He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Sing: He leadeth me! He leadeth me! By His own hand He leadeth me; His faithful follower I will be, for by His hand He leadeth me.

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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.