Manna in the Morning

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Behold, I am about to rain breaad from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not." (Ex. 16:4)

You are probably familiar with the context of this passage. The people of God were in the wilderness because they had not had the faith to possess the land that God had led them to. A whole generation would die during their wanderings before God would bring them back to Canaan. But during this time, God daily provided them food in the form of manna from heaven.

It is an amazing thing. Every morning this bread from heaven would appear. Now the Israelites had some responsibility. They had to go out and collect it. God did not lay it on their tables. And they had to go out an collect it daily. Any that was left over at the end of the day rotted and got worms. So it was a daily requirement.

I would suppose we would say God did this so they would be fed and nurtured. But our text says that God did it this way to test them, whether they would walk with Him or not. Let me suggest one of the greatest tests of the reality of our relationship with God is our daily time alone with Him. It is not how much money we give, how often we attend church, or how many mission trips we take. It is our quality personal time in devotion with God.

God wants to provide you with spiritual manna everyday. He is not going to set it on your table. He is not going to eat it for you, or even gather it for you. You must daily find the quiet place to meet with Him and let Him speak from His Word to your heart. You must draw aside in prayer and talk to God, and listen to God. Yesterday's manna is not sufficient for today. It needs to be a daily habit.