Exodus 16, John 6

Exodus 16, John 6
Manna

(Last Fast Blog)

One of my sweet friends has been talking about manna lately, and I love it. There is so much in our day-to-day lives that we could refer to as manna. I guess if someone asked me to describe what I've gotten from my 28 day fast in one word, it would be manna! Just in case you've never made the connection, let me review a few things for you.

Manna is the wafer-like food God gave the Israelites when they were delivered from Egypt. Basically, a honey-flavored, slightly crunchy carbohydrate—Yum! It appeared every morning outside their tents with the dew, and everyone always had just enough for their family. They weren’t supposed to take more than one day’s worth. Of course some didn’t listen, took extra, and the next day it was smelly and covered in maggots. Exodus 16:35 says, “The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.” (The Promised Land)

Isn’t that cool? For forty years they didn’t have to meal plan or go to the grocery store. No pressure being creative in cooking—there was only one choice! What’s for dinner honey? Manna, dear.

Now here is the great connection. In John 6, Jesus feeds the five thousand from two fish and five loaves of what? bread. Then the next day they follow him around a lake and seem interested in him. He says you are only concerned with me because I filled your tummies! Go after something lasting—me! Then they totally set him up by asking, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” (John 6:30-31)

Then Jesus makes this great link, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. . . I am the bread of life.”

Isn’t that awesome! For forty years, the Israelites just thought God was feeding them, but he was doing much more than that. He was giving them an object lesson. He was foreshadowing Jesus.

That is why I would say, God has given me manna over the last month. God’s word, his promises, his truth, his comfort, his counsel is always right outside our tents. His word is available every day. Our only job is to gather it up! So getting up an hour early to gather my manna has been nothing less than satisfying!

My plan is to keep gathering manna, every day. I really can’t survive without it! I might even blog every now and then—I just can’t help but share when I get a tasty bite of crisp, honey wafers. But to any of you that helped hold me accountable to this fast, I want to say thank you!!!!! If you read everyday, one day or no days, I’m very thankful for you as a sister in Christ. And my prayer for each of you is that you (and I) always wake-up hungry for our daily manna!

Thank you also to the Bread of Life who satisfies me like thing else on this earth!

James 4

Our Bible study topic the last couple weeks has been on relationships. I’ve always felt that I’m pretty independent and confident, but the more I study the more I’m convicted. Convicted that I often use people, family or friends, to fill me instead of going to the true source.

Here is something else I found. Check out this verse from James 4: 1-2.

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it.”

This isn’t a very pretty verse, and it is easy to apply it to others, but wow it is hitting home with me. This truth is obvious in small children—they fight because someone has something they wanted, or their parents refuse a privilege. They don’t get what they want.

How about adults? What desires battle within me? A need to feel secure or wanted or accepted? A need to feel appreciated or respected or loved? Aren’t those feelings that cause me to fight with my spouse or other family members? Aren’t those desires that battle within me the reason I feel resentment toward my friend?

It is crazy that it all comes back to God and my relationship with him???? Why would we put such high expectations on the people in our life? How quickly I forget that they are depraved and broken just like me! God is the only one who will not disappoint! And if they happen to get it right every once in a while, as Cindy Hawks said last week, that is just a gift from God.

There are two action steps James 4 gives us. These are the two things I want to do the next time I feel myself quarreling from the desire that battles within me (even if the quarrel is in my head and not noticeable to others.)
1) Verse 7, submit yourselves, then, to God!
2) Verse 10; humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

It’s his job to lift us up, not our spouse or friend or ministry leader or parent or ourselves. It’s his job! I think he’s up for the challenge, don’t you?

Day 21 - Psalm 46, 37

This morning I'm focusing on these two verses.

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him" Ps 37:7
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Ps 46:10

John 16:33

Rain
It’s raining this morning. I like the rain. It equalizes us. No matter who you are or what you have planned, if you step outside during a rainstorm, you will get wet. Nature will do its thing.

Things don’t look good for my girlfriend I wrote about Friday. They will know more at the end of this week, but it is probably going to be a difficult situation. We are praying for a miracle, God could do it. He can do anything, we have seen it before and will see it again. But, He might not. He might let nature do its thing.

This is such a tough concept. Is God mean because he could intervene and chooses not to? Or is God generous because he has not promised a pain-free life and yet sometimes spares us pain? God’s sovereignty is such a tough concept, yet without it, what do we have?

The promise I claim for them and myself and you this morning is found in John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

There IS hope for our future, but sometimes our future seems so far away. Until then, sometimes it rains and sometimes it pours.