There is No Time Like “Manna Time!”

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

My little 7 year old granddaughter Madeline had a sleep over at our house last night. When that happens, Renee and I shift our attention and focus on her. We took her to Culvers because she likes to eat there. When we came home we did the things she likes to do – watch a Carmen video, wrestle, play hide-in-seek, and then snuggled and read a Bible story, prayed, and sang songs. When we have the granddaughters over, it’s like getting to relive the greatest stage of my life over again. I always loved when my children were young. They were so innocent, happy, fun, and excited to learn about God. They would get up every morning while I was having quiet time with the Lord and come to me wanting me to read them Bible stories. Renee and I had bought a boat load of ARCH Bible story books. They loved them and the funny part was, I did too! The Lord always managed to speak to me through them so that I didn’t feel deprived of my own Bible time.

This morning Madeline and I read about the Lord giving the Israelites manna in the desert. What a powerful story filled with lessons to be learned that are relevant today. When Moses was leading the people to the Promised Land, he had to take them through desert places. In those places, life was tough and it seemed to them as though they were always without provision. Consequently they often whined to Moses. Moses felt burdened and took it to God who would then instruct Moses how to receive provision for the people. He would feed them supernaturally with “manna” – a type of angel food that tasted good and would nourish them. They had to go out and collect it daily.

God’s Word reveals that this lesson about trusting God for manna daily is relevant to our lives today. It reminds us that the world we live in is a desert void of God and full of anxiety for those that won’t seek God. When people don’t seek God, feeling anxious becomes a routine part of life. God ministered to them supernaturally providing manna – something they had to go out, pick up, and eat every day. They weren’t allowed to hoard or save it except on the sixth day when they would get a double portion for two days so they could rest on the Sabbath. If they horded more than they needed because they didn’t trust that God would provide the next day, their surplus would turn to maggots.

God gives us insight in how that applies to our life today. He wanted them to know that this dependency upon Him – every day – was about more than just food. It was about depending upon the promise of His Word daily. Deut. 8:3 says, “The Lord did it to teach you that people need more than bread for their life; real life comes by feeding on every word of the Lord.”

Jesus gave further insight pertaining to manna saying, “Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever. (John 6:31 & 58) Jesus was teaching them that He and His Word were the same as we see in John 1:1 & 14. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” These scriptures are telling us that we are no longer to think in terms of eating manna from off the ground but feeding on the bread of life – Jesus and His Word. Jesus and his Word are the same and His Word is the bread that when fed on will cause us to be nourished. God’s Word will give us direction, bring hope, build faith, and usher in supernatural help.

Madeline and I were nourished by God this morning. We learned that He brought water from a rock and angel food from Heaven to take care of His own. When we lean on, have faith in, and seek Him, He will take care of our every need also. His Word and promises are our daily bread. We love “manna time!”

Luke 11:3 “Give us day by day our daily bread.

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt