Morning Manna by Rufus Parker: Morning Manna by Rufus Parker

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2024 August 13

Loneliness

“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” (Psalms 42:1-5)

Today’s Morsel: One of the things you must be alert to and careful of is loneliness. Loneliness doesn’t mean that you don’t have anyone around you, it may mean that you have nothing in common with those that are around you. Or you may wish to be able to see those you know and love yet are away currently away from and have not seen for a while. One of the things we were taught as drill instructors was to always be alert and on the lookout for those new soldiers that seemed to be withdrawn or without excitement and joy in their lives. It is easy for new recruits to start missing loved ones, and friends back home and for loneliness to set in. The same holds true in the church. We must keep an eye on our brothers and sisters to ensure that they are not being drawn into a spirit of loneliness. This can lead to isolation, depression, and even suicide. The psalmist found himself being lonely. And so he began asking himself what was wrong that he was feeling this way. If you will notice, he said that he went to church, he worshipped God, but he wasn’t feeling the presence of God. He wanted to hear God and feel his presence. What about you, are you missing God? Does it feel as though it’s been a long time since you felt the presence of God? Then stir up the gift of the Holy Ghost within you and get back on course and you will be able to lead others to Christ. We do not need to be lonely in the family of God.

Sing: Life here is grand, with friends I love so dear, comfort I get from God’s own Word; Yet when I face the chilling hand of death, where could I go but to the Lord?

Where could I go, where could I go; seeking a refuge for my soul? Needing a friend to help me in the end, where could I go but to the Lord?

Thought For Today: “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,” (Jude 1:20)

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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.