As much as I love to advocate for and remind all of us to be remembering God’s faithfulness in the past… I’ve been especially challenged lately, to also rely on fresh manna.
When the Israelites were living and traveling through the wilderness (I don’t think they truly understood just how much of a ‘wandering’ it was) God provided for their needs.
In Exodus 16, you can read the account of God providing Manna and Quail for the Israelites. Quail would cover the camp at night so that they could eat meat, and then, six out of seven mornings, manna would appear on the ground. The people would collect as much as they needed for the day, but they were directed very specifically not to save any.
Of course, some of them did, and the next morning the manna from the previous day would be rotten and filled with maggots! Except on the morning of day seven – The Sabbath.
God instructed them to collect enough manna for two days, on the sixth day. Then they could bake it, boil it, bop it, twist it, in order to save it for the next day, The Sabbath. When they did this? No maggots.
Amazing right?!
At the very end of this chapter in Exodus it says, “The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.” (verse 35)
Manna, aka Literal Daily Bread, was a miraculous provision from God that became part of the Israelite’s daily routine. What began as an exciting miracle would’ve almost certainly become the annoying, mundane “same old”.
What kind of miracles are we taking for granted? Have you revelled at the home you live in recently? Have you stared in awe at the people you love – memorizing their eyes and the shape of their face?
The mundane provisions of today were the miracles of yesterday, of yester-year!
The Bible can be like manna, like our daily bread… easily replaceable with more exciting versions of itself and yet absolutely vital for surviving the seasons we face. Are we going to the Lord every morning and asking for fresh revelations and new understandings of His Word? Are we feasting on the Scriptures today, even though we know there will be more to take in tomorrow?
Remembering the lessons and the faithfulness of God is absolutely important and it encourages us! However, holding onto those past lessons and depending on them to see us through current struggles and challenges is not enough.
There is so much more that God has for you and I, for Lifespring as a whole! And every day is a new opportunity to see more of God revealed – in our world and in His Word.