Manna From Heaven

The book of Exodus details the Lord’s deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and how He established a covenant relationship with them. Exodus 16 describes how it came about that the Lord provided them with manna. The Israelites had come to the Wilderness of Sin (Exodus 16:1) and once again, they were filled with discontent. They said to Moses and Aaron: “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted…” (Exodus 16:3a).

The Lord responded by saying to Moses: “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you” (verse 4). The manna (bread) God provided sustained them day by day. This was also an opportunity for the Israelites to learn that the Lord was trustworthy, and that they belonged to Him. They were no longer slaves living in fear of punishment. They now had a Father who would protect them, provide for them, and teach how to live in His freedom.

Whilst praying for my family recently, the thought came to ask the Lord to feed us with ‘manna from heaven’. In John 6:35 Jesus says: “I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never be hungry, and he who believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me will never thirst anymore (at any time).” 

Jesus is the One who gives us hope and belonging: “This hope [this confident assurance] we have as an anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it] - a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil [of the heavenly temple, that most Holy Place in which the very presence of God dwells” (Hebrews 6:19).

How do you respond when you find yourself in a ‘wilderness season’? Maybe your reaction is to go into self-sufficient mode where you believe that you need to work everything out on your own. This is the only way you know and how you have been coping for many years. Another way of responding is by blaming everyone else for the situation you find yourself in and this in turn leads to despondency and even resentment towards others and even God.

Whatever way you react in your wilderness, choose to look away from the ‘dry land’ around you for a moment and ask your Father in Heaven to provide you with ‘manna from heaven’. Ask for His truth in your life. Jesus’s truth will nourish your soul and fill you with hope. When He becomes the ‘bread’ you seek, hope comes alive again - hope that enters within the veil and allows you to be in the presence of your Father. “And you have been made complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority” (Colossians 2:10).