Then the Lord said to Moses, “It will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough food for that day…” –Exodus 16:4
Imagine traveling through the desert with thousands of people. It’s hot. It’s sticky. It’s sweaty. You’ve been held as a slave in Egypt for as long as you can remember. Although you thought at one point you would rather be dead than be a slave, now you are starting to wonder. So what if God delivered you out of Egypt? So what if God parted the Red Sea? So what if God is taking you to the Promised Land? Right now, it is too hot to travel or care. In fact, you would rather just sit down right where you are and sulk. What if you never make it to your destination? Might it be better simply to stay where you are? What if Moses really isn’t the leader you need? What if you don’t have food tomorrow?
But, just when you want to give up, Moses delivers a message from the Lord. “The Lord will give you food,” he says. As you ask the others around you to clarify what he said, you realize that there is going to be food outside of your door every morning. You are only to take as much as you need each day, no more, no less. And, you trust that the next day more will be given.
Perhaps your soul will rejoice when you realize that this manna is for you as well. In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells us that he is bread from heaven, the bread of God, the bread of life. Chances are you will not open your door tomorrow and have bread sitting on your lawn. But, you can know this: God gives us the spiritual bread of life for today and every day. We do not need to store up, because each day we can trust that we will have enough strength to get through whatever life hands us.
Jesus is the bread of life. There is enough of him to nourish and strengthen each of us — everyday.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Think about days when you have felt like God was not with you. As you look back now, how can you see that He was there?
2. Why is it so hard to trust that the Lord will give you all you need for each day?
FURTHER READING:
Matthew 4:4; John 6:51; Philippians 4:8