What's All the Whoopla About Manna?

After all these years of being a Believer - and I still got it wrong.  I've read Numbers 11 more than once during my walk with the Lord, but evidently, I didn't pay very close attention to the description of manna.  I thought it was actual bread.  I thought the Lord miraculously sent down a white, wafer-like substance that the people collected and ate.  That's why, when I read Numbers 11:7-9, I was surprised:

Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium.  The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil.  And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.    

"Why all the whoopla about manna?" you might ask.  Well, my curiousity wasn't sparked by the actual manna, itself.  Instead, it was the work that went into using the manna that caught my attention.  The Israelites had to go out and gather the substance.  Can you imagine trying to pick up enough seed-sized pieces of manna for a day's meal?  That was a lot of work, I'm sure.  And then after that, they had to bring home their "super food," grind it in a hand mill or beat it in the mortar, and then bake it.   Whew...it makes you realize that they did a little more than just sit around and watch camel wrestling while they were in the desert.  The Isralites worked.  They provided for their families.  Yes, God gave them the substance to use - the perfect Super Food - but He didn't spoon-feed it to them.

Can you imagine what would have happened to the Israelites' work ethic - not to mention their waistlines - if all they had to do was roll off their mat in the morning, shove a few pieces of manna in their mouths and roll back over?  They would have become lazy and unable to take care of themselves.  They wouldn't have known what to do when they reached the Promised Land and their pre-packaged food from heaven disappeared.  They would have had to re-learn how to work...how to cook...how to live off the land.

God was so wise in NOT spoon-feeding them, don't you think?

And yet, how many times do we want God to spiritually spoon-feed us!?!  Okay, I'll head this one my direction.  How many times do I want God to spiritually spoon-feed me?

I want to be close to Him - without working at it.  I want to be holy - without spending time DOING what the Bible tells me to do.  I want to hear from Him - but I'm not willing to sit down long enough to wait to hear from Him.  I want self control to be evident in my life - but won't put down that extra piece of pizza.  It's there...it needs to be eaten right???

No, it doesn't.


II Peter 1:3 (NLT) says that God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence.  

Guess what that verse tells me.  It tells me that we want it all, and we CAN have it all!  It's all available to us.  We CAN be in close fellowship with Him.  We CAN be holy in our thoughts and behaviors.  We CAN hear from Him, because He wants to speak to us.  We CAN put down that extra piece of pizza and have a little self control!  Why?  Just like manna in the wilderness, through Christ, God's provided us with exactly what we NEED to grow.  He's given us His Word to guide our daily lives.  He's given us the ability to communicate with Him through prayer.  He's given us the Spirit, so that He can communicate with us.  He's given us everything we need for life...for living a godly life.

We just have to roll off our mats, grab a basket, put some muscle into our faith and get to work.

That's a great thought, but what does putting faith to work actually look like?  It looks like making intentional moves towards loving God with all our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our spirits.  It looks like choosing to love others as ourselves and putting their needs above our own selfishness.  It looks like spending time with Him - not just once a day, but all day - thinking about Him, talking to Him, listening for Him.   It looks like honoring His Word by responding to His commands with a resounding, "Yes Sir!"  It might even look like exhibiting some self control by putting down that extra piece of pizza - even though it might go to waste!

That's what it looks like.  Now, the question is...will you join me in living it?



God in Heaven...In Your wisdom, You've given us everything we need to live the godly life we desire, without spoon-feeding us.  You knew we'd be lazy if you did!  Thank You for Your provision for us through the death and resurrection of Christ.  Thank You for wanting us to draw near to You through prayer, through worship and through Bible study.  May we honor You by doing those things today - all day.  Praise You, Lord Jesus.  Praise You.