Fresh Mannaby Pastor Tim BurtThis morning, I read from the Bible about the Lord giving the Israelites manna in the desert. What a powerful story filled with lessons that are relevant today.When Moses led God's 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. Because of that, they often whined to Moses. Moses felt burdened and took it to God. In response, God instructed Moses on 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.
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 who won’t seek God. When people don’t seek God, they become anxious over many things that surface in their lives every day. In their case, God ministered to them supernaturally, providing manna. They were simply instructed to go out and pick up just enough for their needs for that day and no more. That would be their food supply for the day. They weren't allowed to hoard up or save up the manna beyond that day. If they did, it would turn into maggots. The only exception to that was on the sixth day when they were allowed to save enough for two days so they could rest on the Sabbath. Did they follow this? No, just like us, they liked security and wanted more than enough. But, when they disobeyed God, their extra turned to maggots.
God gives us insight into how that applies to our lives today. He wanted them to know that having this daily dependency upon Him was about more than just food. It was about learning to depend upon the promises of His Word daily. Deuteronomy 8:3 (NLT) says, "Yes, He (the Lord) humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." Jesus and the Word of God are one. We see this in John 1:1 & 14 (NIV): “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.” This says that Jesus and His Word are the same.Jesus gave further insight pertaining to manna being His Word and said that we needed to eat daily, 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 (God's Word) will live forever. (John 6:31 & 58 NIV) These scriptures are telling us that we are to no longer think in terms of eating manna from off the ground, but we are to, instead, feed 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 supernaturally nourished. God’s Word will give us direction, bring hope, build faith, and usher in supernatural help and peace, and so much more! This is why when Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He taught them this: Luke 11:3 And Jesus said, "When you pray, pray like this, “Give us day by day our daily bread." He wasn't talking about asking God for food to eat. He was teaching them to ask God to speak to their heart from His Word! This is the manna they were to eat daily! It was what would build their faith and trust in Him!God brought water from a rock and angel food from Heaven to care for His own. They never went without provision! God always provided for them! When we lean on and trust in His promises, then we can have faith that even in times of great need and difficulty, then we can have faith that He will care for our every need! Then, His word will bring us the peace that passes human understanding. All this from eating manna—God's Word and promises that are to speak daily to our heart as we eat His daily bread. It's no wonder I love eating manna! Have you eaten yours today? If not, here it is!
