Lessons From Manna
This morning I read Exodus 16 where God gave the explanation of manna to Moses so he could tell the Israelites. It has some fantastic lessons for us about how God works to provide for His people. I have found them true in my life over the years. I know God is always faithful. He has proved it to me many times.
The first lesson of manna is that God provides what we need on a daily basis. That is why the Lord's Prayer says, "Give is this day our daily bread." We are not to ask God to give us what we need tomorrow today. We are to gather what He gives us, and we will find that it is just enough to meet our needs, not too little or too much.
The next lesson is that His provision is a test to see if we will trust Him. If the Israelites tried to hoard the manna for an extra day, it smelled terribly. If they went out to find some on the Sabbath, they found none, because God had told them to get twice as much on the day before. Also, the Sabbath was the only day of the week that the extra did not stink. When we trust God, He works it out just as He desires for us. However, we must put Him first and worship Him for all of His blessings.
Finally, God took care of them by sending manna for forty years while they were in the wilderness. Then, when they reached the land that flowed with milk and honey, the manna stopped. God provides for us when we obey Him and trust Him, but not always in the same way. In the Promised Land the people could pick food off of the trees and harvest the crops already in place, so they did not need the manna anymore.
I hope all of us can relate to these lessons and apply them to our lives, if we have not been living in God's provision. These principles are profound, and God does not change. He gives us just what we need, and He is on time. He can choose to give it to us in advance, but if He does, we must still trust Him and not spend it on the wrong thing. If we do not obey Him, He is under no obligation to replace what we spent. Then, we are on our own. Believe me, we don't want to try to provide for ourselves. It is difficult, stressful, and impossible in the long run. We need to learn the lessons from manna.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 20-23.
The first lesson of manna is that God provides what we need on a daily basis. That is why the Lord's Prayer says, "Give is this day our daily bread." We are not to ask God to give us what we need tomorrow today. We are to gather what He gives us, and we will find that it is just enough to meet our needs, not too little or too much.
The next lesson is that His provision is a test to see if we will trust Him. If the Israelites tried to hoard the manna for an extra day, it smelled terribly. If they went out to find some on the Sabbath, they found none, because God had told them to get twice as much on the day before. Also, the Sabbath was the only day of the week that the extra did not stink. When we trust God, He works it out just as He desires for us. However, we must put Him first and worship Him for all of His blessings.
Finally, God took care of them by sending manna for forty years while they were in the wilderness. Then, when they reached the land that flowed with milk and honey, the manna stopped. God provides for us when we obey Him and trust Him, but not always in the same way. In the Promised Land the people could pick food off of the trees and harvest the crops already in place, so they did not need the manna anymore.
I hope all of us can relate to these lessons and apply them to our lives, if we have not been living in God's provision. These principles are profound, and God does not change. He gives us just what we need, and He is on time. He can choose to give it to us in advance, but if He does, we must still trust Him and not spend it on the wrong thing. If we do not obey Him, He is under no obligation to replace what we spent. Then, we are on our own. Believe me, we don't want to try to provide for ourselves. It is difficult, stressful, and impossible in the long run. We need to learn the lessons from manna.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 20-23.