“Manna from Heaven” has become an idiom of the English language. It means “An unexpected benefit or assistance, especially when it comes at the time when it is needed most.” For example, “Unable to pay my bills, the stimulus check was like manna from Heaven.”
Manna sounds like the Hebrew for “What is it?” The Israelites discovered the manna but didn’t know what it was. Apparently they had never seen anything like it before. The Scripture describes it like this:
“Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. The people would go about and gather it and grind it between two millstones or beat it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste ofcakes baked with oil. When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.” Numbers 11:7-9 NASB
“The house of Israel named it manna, and … its taste was like wafers with honey.” Exodus 16:31 NASB
The manna may have looked something like this.
God provided what they needed to for sustenance, but they had to do something first. They had to prepare it. I always thought of manna as being loaves of bread floating down from Heaven. But in reality, they had to take the manna and grind it, and then cook it in a pot or bake cakes with it.
How does this apply to us today?
God has graciously given us His Word and that Word is the Bread of Life. This means that although God has given us His Word (the Bible), we have to take it and do something with it.
We must read and study it daily. It is our “daily bread”. The Holy Spirit will speak to us daily through His Word. Our daily devotion in God’s Word infuses us with strength and encouragement.
If we leave our Bible on the shelf, we leave our daily bread on the shelf. What a tragedy to leave the manna on the wilderness floor when it’s what we need to sustain us!
“Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.” John 6:35 NASB
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 NASB
From John 1:1, we know that Jesus is the Word. Jesus also declared that He was the bread of life.
There are many lessons that can be derived from the provision of manna. To me, the most important one is that God’s Word is our daily bread. Jesus taught us to pray,
“Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)
How can we receive our daily bread (sustenance) if we are not in the Word? Do we grumble and complain, as the Israelites did, tired of the manna and wanting something else? God’s Word is our guide. It will sustain us in every situation.
The Psalmist wrote,
“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” Psalm 119:18 KJV
“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” Psalm 119:15-16 NIV
Did you gather your manna today?
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
“And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” Revelation 5:8 NIV (emphasis mine)
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 NIV Read full chapter
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” Psalm 18:2 KJV
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” Habakkuk 3:17-19 NIV
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12 NIV Read full chapter
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?