Morning Manna
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.
The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. “ Exodus 16:4
I haven’t always loved mornings but now it seems to be my favorite time of day. When I crawl into bed at night, I can already smell the morning coffee and feel the longing to sit with the Lord. I remember the years that morning quiet time was simply a discipline and a ritual. I was taught early on in my Christian life the importance of a morning quiet time, but it didn’t come easy for me. Morning after morning I would set my clock, attempting to drag my tired self out of the bed, just hoping to get a verse read before the babies woke up. It seemed that their little ears knew that heaven was awake and mommy longed to hear a word for the day. I remember the bone tired feeling and the disappointment in myself when I repeatedly chose sleep over a morning word.
As I have aged physically and spiritually, what once was a ritual and discipline, turned into desperation. Then the desperation became love. This gathering of daily manna all began when the Israelites grumbled to Moses about their hunger and lack of food. They dreamed of the food they ate while in horrible bondage. Their hunger even caused them to want to return to where they came from. It was from this place of despair that the Lord answered and rained down bread from heaven.
Bread from heaven!
Early on, He taught us the necessity of daily dependence on the Father. Fresh manna every day waiting to be gathered by the hungry. It is Jesus Himself, Bread of Heaven. We are invited to feast on Him and be filled and nourished. This living bread totally changes our life. As we partake of Him, we are totally transformed. The smell of this fresh bread is more inviting than the smell of fresh, roast coffee.
Gathering this daily manna may start as a discipline and a ritual, but I promise it will turn to desperation and love. We are created by God Himself to long for him. Be careful that your hunger stays dependent on God’s supply, or else you many return to bondage where it seemed simpler.
It is this bread from heaven that my heart longs for.
God allows hunger and desperation to turn our hearts to longing for more of Him. There is something wonderful and mystical about this ritual of daily gathering. The instructions to us are the same: Daily arise and gather enough for the day. In other words, one quick devotional reading will not last the entire week. It comes in the daily trusting in God for everything that we need.
“In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”
Psalm 5:3
“ Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
Psalm 34:8