I "Google Image" searched for manna and this is one of the pictures that came up :-)
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Manna...
If you aren't familiar with the story of the Israelites receiving manna to eat - you can read it HERE.
You have just escaped the terrible hardships of the Egyptians. You have been walking in the desert for a little over two months. Times are difficult- but the God who has just rescued you from slavery has been giving words of encouragement to the prophet who has been leading you the entire time. Even though God is continually showing His faithfulness, you still hear the complaints all around you, "If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but [God has] brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death" (Exodus 16:3).
And the Lord "heard their grumbling". Not that I condone grumbling to get what you want from God- but I do find it very interesting that God heard the grumbling of His people and still responded. He sure is gracious! The Lord tells the people that He will rain down bread from heaven in the morning and provide meat in the evenings for the Israelites to eat. The amount of food would be just enough to get them through to the next day.
I can imagine the first day when the Israelites went to collect the food for the day. The very meaning of "manna" is translated "What is it?" I can almost see the Israelites waking up, excited to see the bread that the Lord was going to provide, and instead just seeing this white, flaky substance. "What is it?", "This can't be correct", "The prophet did say it would be bread... right?".
The Lord did provide bread. It was sweet like honey and could be baked into cakes. It was food that was perfect for keeping up the stamina for their long days and taught them to rely on God. It was bread- but a kind much different that what the Israelites had been expecting.
Tomorrow I start my second week of Spanish classes with a new teacher. I had heard that she was one of the more challenging instructors at the school, and so far I believe the rumors are true! I found myself having a "What is it?" moment last week. "I wanted to come here and learn Spanish, Lord- but this is not what I was expecting. You promised me bread and all I see around me is this strange substance that I don't know what to do with".
After a week of my new class, I am realizing that this is exactly what the Lord had promised, just in a slightly different form then I had expected. The class is challenging and what I need, just as the manna was sweet and just what the Israelites needed.
Are you coming against a difficult challenge that seems different than what was expected? Are you frustrated that what you have is not what you had been promised from the Lord? Take a closer look- maybe it is God's promise, but simply in "manna" form!
Lord,
You are the Sustainer and the giver of life. Thank you that nothing comes into my life without first passing through Your sovereign hand. The challenges ahead of me are difficult and much different than I anticipated. But Lord, help me to accept the sweet bread You have given me today. Help me to embrace the manna that you have provided. Thank you that everyday you "rain down bread from heaven" for me. Help me to realize the provision you have rained down today. Amen.
You have just escaped the terrible hardships of the Egyptians. You have been walking in the desert for a little over two months. Times are difficult- but the God who has just rescued you from slavery has been giving words of encouragement to the prophet who has been leading you the entire time. Even though God is continually showing His faithfulness, you still hear the complaints all around you, "If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but [God has] brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death" (Exodus 16:3).
And the Lord "heard their grumbling". Not that I condone grumbling to get what you want from God- but I do find it very interesting that God heard the grumbling of His people and still responded. He sure is gracious! The Lord tells the people that He will rain down bread from heaven in the morning and provide meat in the evenings for the Israelites to eat. The amount of food would be just enough to get them through to the next day.
I can imagine the first day when the Israelites went to collect the food for the day. The very meaning of "manna" is translated "What is it?" I can almost see the Israelites waking up, excited to see the bread that the Lord was going to provide, and instead just seeing this white, flaky substance. "What is it?", "This can't be correct", "The prophet did say it would be bread... right?".
The Lord did provide bread. It was sweet like honey and could be baked into cakes. It was food that was perfect for keeping up the stamina for their long days and taught them to rely on God. It was bread- but a kind much different that what the Israelites had been expecting.
Tomorrow I start my second week of Spanish classes with a new teacher. I had heard that she was one of the more challenging instructors at the school, and so far I believe the rumors are true! I found myself having a "What is it?" moment last week. "I wanted to come here and learn Spanish, Lord- but this is not what I was expecting. You promised me bread and all I see around me is this strange substance that I don't know what to do with".
After a week of my new class, I am realizing that this is exactly what the Lord had promised, just in a slightly different form then I had expected. The class is challenging and what I need, just as the manna was sweet and just what the Israelites needed.
Are you coming against a difficult challenge that seems different than what was expected? Are you frustrated that what you have is not what you had been promised from the Lord? Take a closer look- maybe it is God's promise, but simply in "manna" form!
Lord,
You are the Sustainer and the giver of life. Thank you that nothing comes into my life without first passing through Your sovereign hand. The challenges ahead of me are difficult and much different than I anticipated. But Lord, help me to accept the sweet bread You have given me today. Help me to embrace the manna that you have provided. Thank you that everyday you "rain down bread from heaven" for me. Help me to realize the provision you have rained down today. Amen.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Boundary Lines...
Click HERE to listen before you read!
I find that when I start to get my eyes off of the Lord, I start to desire a change in my current position in life. I am currently attending language school in Costa Rica and am so incredibly blessed to be here. When I return to Virginia in December I will be moving in a new house, needing to buy a new car and searching for a new job. While for most the thought of this would cause frantic anxiety, nothing thrills me more! I love the idea of a change of a pace.
However- like any good quality, I must learn to keep it in control. While loving new adventures is part of God's unique design for "Abbey", if it is not paired with a godly perspective on life and my future it can easily cause me to get carried away. Don't believe me? I looked up mortgage rates and calculated what kind of down-payment I would desire to have if I bought a house today. I am 25 with no job and measly savings- and I was picking out my 3 bedroom, 2 bath kitchen's color scheme... *sigh*.
In Psalm 16: 2, 5-6, the psalmist David writes, "I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing...You alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."
David realized the power of "making the most of every opportunity". He knew that God had good things in store for him, yet he chose to acknowledge that his boundary lines were placed from the Lord. Ultimately- God is our portion. David, like the rest of us, had the inkling to try and find other things to find his fulfillment in. While writing this portion of scripture though, David was able to realize his need for God and the peace that come from being satisfied in the moment the Lord had him in right then.
Lord,
Thank You for Your word and for Your daily presence in my life. Even when I don't choose to acknowledge your presence- you are present. Apart from You, I have nothing. No other thing can give me fulfillment and while I can be excited for the future inheritance you have for me, please help me to have joy inside the boundary lines of my life you have place for me. You are my portion. Amen.
I once heard that "The grass may look greener on the other side, but it is probably just because more fertilizer has been laid down on it" :-)
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