Reason #202

They had been removed from the normalcy of life. Sure, they had been slaves, but it was all they knew. It was their life, their norm. Maybe it wasn’t the ideal way to live life, maybe it was monotonous, and although living in bondage is no fun, it was what they were used to. But they knew, deep down, that this wasn’t the life they wanted forever. They saw what it was like to be free and they desired that, too. Freedom from captivity. Freedom from oppression. A chance to make their own choices, a chance to live an enjoyable life. And so they cried out to be saved, and He heard them. The cries of children, desperate and bound, reached the ears of a Father who could meet their plea for freedom. The only one capable, powerful enough, to actually answer them. He could do it. And so He did. He took compassion on His chosen ones and He freed them. But freedom wasn’t as easy as they initially though. Freedom came in a different from than they expected. And so the path He chose to free them from the bondage that they so desperately desired to be free of led them straight into the wilderness.

Hungry. Their stomachs rumbled and a new need arose. Concerned and a little angry, they let their worry get the best of them. They hadn’t thought about this as they so victoriously marched out of Egypt. The idea of being hungry didn’t cross their minds as they stood and watched Pharaoh’s army being engulfed by the waves of the Red Sea. Miracles, that’s what they thought of. That’s what was on their mind. Miracles, freedom, victory. But it didn’t take long for selfishness and forgetfulness to take over. Now, they were stuck in the wilderness with absolutely nothing to satisfy their hunger pains. But they were in the wilderness with the One who could satisfy and so He did.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day.” – Exodus 16:4

And He gave them their daily bread. Manna. Raining down blessings from Heaven on His hungry children. Doing what He does best, satisfying. Giving them what they needed not because they deserved it, but because He loved them and promised to take care of them. Little sweet, honey-like wafers to silence the grumbling of their stomachs. Filling them, calming their fears, meeting their needs with pure goodness. A new thing, a divine thing, more than they deserved. Faithless, forgetful, whiney children being showered by His unfailing love. Blessed because of His grace and kindness.

And I thought about the manna raining down in my life. Daily blessings. Blessings that have fallen in the midst of the wilderness. A dry, hot, miserable place, yet goodness was showered down despite the undesirable surroundings. Pure goodness that He rained down on me not because He had to but because of His great love and mercy. Sweet blessings sent to satisfy me. Sent to meet the need, to silence the cry, to fill a void. He could have chosen to send something else or nothing at all. But He chose something sweet, not bitter. Something satisfying and good, not something that would leave me sick or in a worse state. A miracle, a divine thing, always more than I deserved.

So I praise Him for the manna. For the unexpected, good, blessings showered down in the midst of the wilderness. And I thank Him for the “daily bread.” For always showering down enough to meet that need and for never letting me go hungry. For the Bread of Life hears our rumblings, sees the hunger pains, and is always faithful to satisfy.

#202 – Manna.Sweet, satisfying blessings raining down simply because He loves us.

“But in your great mercy you did not abandon them to die in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud still led them forward by day, and the pillar of fire showed them the way through the night.You sent your good Spirit to instruct them, and you did not stop giving them manna from heaven or water for their thirst. For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. – Nehemiah 9:19-21

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again.” – John 6:35