My Manna

So, I randomly get ideas for a book I want to write one day. I often work on developing these ideas for awhile, possibly even write some pieces that could be foundational, but I tend to get bored with one topic and always move on to the next. Therefore, I will probably (hopefully!) write some sort of book that is a collection of various essays and randomness.

However, my current "kick" is to write on how we can compare ourselves to the Israelites. I have seen so much of myself in them as I read their journey through the wilderness and in the book of Judges. I love the Old Testament in general; it provides some amazing parallels that are fulfilled in the New Testament, and knowing the history leading up to Christ shines a new light on what you read in the Gospels as well as what Paul writes, since he was trained by rabbis and knew Jewish history and regulations.

The way God challenges His people to trust Him has always stuck out to me in these stories. He allows them to be in these crazy situations or asks them to do atypical things, then He proves His faithfulness by coming through for them. Exodus 16 provides a great example of this:

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days." (vv.1-5)

I can’t imagine walking through the desert and having little to no food. I personally get hungry every three hours, and I know that I would be complaining if I were one of the Israelites on this trip. From God’s point of view, though, I would be pretty frustrated with the people for being such babies. I mean, seriously, they have some whining issues. After all that God had done for them – big victories, parting the Red Sea, changing bitter water into sweet water – they still doubted why they had even agreed to this journey.

Our God is so patient, though. Full of so much more love than I can ever hope to be able to respond with. He is faithful. And brilliant – He was able to use this situation in order to teach His people how to trust Him. He provided food from the sky* that the Israelites could gather to eat. The catch was He wanted them only to take enough for that day and trust that He would provide more the next day. Some people weren’t so sure about this, though:

Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. (vv. 19-20)

God didn’t want them to freak out like it was 1999 and stockpile in case the millennium made the world stop spinning. He wasn’t doing this as a one-time provision. He promised to provide enough each day to last them for that 24 hours, then He wanted to them believe that they would wake up and He would do it again.

How often do we notice God providing like that in our own lives?

I can definitely see how God has been leading me on my own journey through life. I don’t know the exact destination, and I don’t always know what I am going to do on down the road when I reach opposition or points of decision or new circumstances. However, God has been so faithful in my life to continually provide just enough to keep me going. Whether it’s in the form of encouragement from others in my ministry or affirmation of my major or simply another door of opportunity being opened, God has always given me what I need for the day.

I don’t need to know the ending. I don’t even need to know what will happen in a year. I can move forward day-to-day in confidence that God is leading me and He will provide the manna that I need for that day. And then He will do the same tomorrow.

*I have always wondered what manna tasted like. Exodus 16:31 says, “The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander and tasted like wafers made with honey.” I know we probably won’t need to eat in heaven, but I kind of hope God has some up there for us to try!