Manna in the desert

Manna in the desert.

The Israelites in the desert were totally dependent on God. It was a difficult time for them because it was a time of testing, a time of learning to trust more deeply than they ever had before.

They had nothing and they were residing in a place where nothing was available. Helpless, deprived, alone and frightened—the type of fright that could take away all hope. Have you ever experienced that?

And so we have three elements in this story that are common to all of us at particular times in our lives, especially at times when we fell we are having a “desert experience.”

The first element is for them to realize that they were not completely alone, but rather that they needed to recognize their total dependence on God. On a God who would supply their needs. But even in realizing this, they still needed to grasp that they were never truly alone. They were not merely dependent. They were dependent ON GOD.

The second two elements follow from the first: hope, and as we mentioned before, trust.

And what happened: God did indeed supply their need day by day without fail. That is the meaning of the manna. Notice also that God supplied their need in a unique way that they never could have predicted. Has THIS ever happened to you?

And so, night after night they had to go to sleep trusting that the manna would be there the next day. And morning after morning, there it was for them again. God never let them down.

There is a lot more to learn from the manna. Think about it today. Let it teach you.