Daily Manna (from 31 Days of Encouragement – Laura)

“HOW SWEET ARE THY WORDS TO MY TASTE! YES, SWEETER THAN HONEY TO MY MOUTH!” Psalm 119:103

God fed the children of Israel manna in the wilderness. The manna …“was like coriander seed, white; and its taste was like wafers with honey” (Exodus 16:31). Sending bread from heaven to sustain His children was an act of grace accomplishing the purpose of godliness in His people. “And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:3). This bread can be compared to everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD – the Word of God.

The manna was a supernatural gift from God, as are the scriptures.
“Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT’” (John 6:31). They had never seen anything like this truly miraculous manna. In the same way, the Bible is not a human production. It is God’s book! Until we realize and accept the fact that it is a divinely supernatural book, we’ll never understand and appreciate this precious gift. Your view of the Bible will determine its value in your life.

The manna had to be gathered daily, as do the scriptures.
The children of Israel did nothing to earn this miraculous food, but they did have the important task of rising daily to gather it. One Bible teacher said, “It fell from heaven, but it didn’t fall into their mouths.” Moses had instructed them to bring the manna into their tents where they ground it and boiled it in a pot to make cakes. Benefiting from our spiritual food requires some action. God’s Word cannot be consumed or eaten while lying on the bedside table or bookshelf. You must act to gather new manna every morning and devour that precious spiritual food.

The manna that was gathered daily had to be consumed daily, as do the scriptures.
Had the people of Israel merely gotten up, gathered the manna and not ingested it, they would have starved in the wilderness. The amount they ate was sufficient for the day and any leftovers would spoil just as God had said. As long as they were wilderness wanderers, they had manna to nourish their bodies. Do you feed on God’s Word or do you merely read God’s Word? Have you ever been in such a hurry to finish a meal that you felt very dissatisfied afterwards? Enjoying the food as you eat and taking your time brings satisfaction. Reading God’s Word just to finish will leave you dissatisfied, while taking your time will reap great benefits. Jeremiah said, “When your words came I ate them, they were my joy and my heart’s delight” (Jeremiah 15:16). As you sit with the Lord and His Word, let the Holy Spirit take time to speak to your heart. Savor the truths He reveals and enjoy the satisfaction of the spiritual meal. God is faithful and His Word will nourish you spiritually as long as you are a pilgrim in this world.

Will you start a spiritual diet of the rich, sweet, satisfying Word of God? Will you embrace it as a supernatural gift and gather His manna daily? Bon Appetite!

“The Bible is not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.” D. L. Moody