January 27, 2016
What Is It?
When
the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” — Exodus 16:15
Read:
Exodus
16:11-31
My mother taught Sunday school for decades.
One week she wanted to explain how God supplied food for the Israelites in the
wilderness. To make the story come alive, she created something to represent
“manna” for the kids in her class. She cut bread into small pieces and topped
them with honey. Her recipe was inspired by the Bible’s description of manna
that says it “tasted like wafers made with honey” (Ex. 16:31).
When the Israelites
first encountered God’s bread from heaven, it appeared on the ground outside
their tents like frost. “When [they] saw it, they said to each other, ‘What is
it?’ ” (v. 15). The Hebrew word man means “what,” so they called it manna. They
discovered they could grind it and form it into loaves or cook it in a pot
(Num. 11:7-8). Whatever it was, it had a baffling arrival (Ex. 16:4,14), a
unique consistency (v. 14), and a short expiration date (vv. 19-20).
Sometimes God provides
for us in surprising ways. This reminds us that He is not bound by our
expectations, and we can’t predict what He will choose to do. While we wait,
focusing on who He is rather than what we think He should do will help us find
joy and satisfaction in our relationship with Him.
Dear God, please help me to freely accept Your provision and
the way You choose to deliver it. Thank You for caring for me and meeting my
needs.
Those who let God provide will always be satisfied.
Source: Our Daily Bread 2016