Two Powerful Words!

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

This past weekend, I hosted our annual Men’s Advance at Sugar Lake Lodge in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. It was a large conference filled to capacity with men that were hungry to draw closer to the Lord, to each other, and with the desire to hear from the heart of God. The atmosphere was filled with God’s presence and when it was over, the men left having been touched by God.

I wrapped up our last session on Sunday morning, said goodbye to the last guys as they left, and drove home extremely tired but feeling so very thankful for all that God did through this event.

It had snowed while I was gone – thick wet heavy snow that was plugging up my driveway. I got my stuff in the house, unpacked, and immediately dressed for snow plowing. My neighbor hadn’t been able to do his and so went over and did his driveway and walks also. Then I had to unpack and catch up on some work and correspondence. I dropped like a rock into bed that night. Monday morning, I woke up exhausted and did something I rarely ever do, I went back to sleep for one more hour. I don’t do that because it cuts out my priorities with God and I end up rushing which I hate. I love my quiet time in the morning with the Lord and to sit and write Fresh Manna.

As I left for church that morning, I was indeed rushing. I hadn’t didn’t have time to pray, I didn’t have time to open my Bible, and hated that I had put myself in this position. One more hour’s sleep is never worth this price to me. So as I was driving to work, I thought, “How ironic. I just got through ministering to the men, hopefully encouraging them to take time to draw closer to the Lord, read their Bible and pray, and here I am driving to work the next day having done none of those things.”

On top of that, I remembered an important task I had to take care of at the bank on the way to work. I had two meetings upon arrival at work and new my day would be off to the races the moment I walked into the door. It was a feeling of chaos and all because of one more hour of sleep. Ugh!

But, then my saving grace came. As I am driving to the bank, I get a quick text mail from a very good friend from my discipleship group who had been up at the Men’s Advance with me. It said, “Pastor Tim, you rock! My manna today is Ephesians 1:2, ‘Grace and Peace unto you.’ Have a supernatural day! Love you, Bruce.” This spoke to me like a megaphone!

I’ve taught all my men, do your best to always walk out the door with a verse that speaks to your heart. Meditate upon it all day and let the Lord magnify it in your heart. That is what manna in the desert was all about with Moses. It wasn’t about bread. It was about “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word from God.” I had also taught the guys, “If you ever have a day that starts crazy, and don’t get into the word or pray, talk to someone that gets manna and mediate on their verse as if it was your own. It will empower you! Moses taught them to share when they gathered manna so that everyone would have enough. Exodus 16:17-18 (NLT) “So the people of Israel went out and gathered this food—some getting more, and some getting less…Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.”

For me, I didn’t have my manna – my word from Heaven to meditate on the day but Bruce had sent me his! And oh what a word – just the word I needed – “Grace and peace unto you.” That word immediately went off in me. It calmed me down. It helped remind me that God’s grace – His supernatural help for everything I am called to do, is with me! And, because of my faith in the fact, I could have His peace. “Grace and peace.” Wow!

Who could think two little words sent in a text could speak so loudly and quickly draw me out of the anxious start I had created to my day! Bruce’s text was God’s voice and grace reaching into my life that moment. It helped me to have a really good day in Him! God’s grace and peace to you!

Eph 1:2 “May grace and peace be yours, sent to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.”

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt