Mornings capture us with a sense of new. The freshness for what’s before us opens like a glorious flower that raises her petals to meet the sun’s rays. Whether the pace of the new days starts out fast or slow, there is a certain level of invigoration that permeates the atmosphere. It says life is here, meeting us again as we open our eyes and arise. What we see before us we have not encountered before. This moment in time, with the grace and mercy that comes with it, is unused.
I grew up during a time of hand-me-downs and leftovers. It was not an unheard-of concept to rely on things that were previously used by another or putting aside portions of a meal that remained for later use. “Waste not, want not,” is often what people would say. It was frugal living before frugal living became popular. We are seeing a resurgence of its popularity due to the current economy that is calling people’s attention to rethink how they approach money, life, and their stuff.
But for the children of Israel, there was one thing that God didn’t want them to rethink, and that was their faith and trust in Him. Even though they were relatively new on their exodus journey from Egypt, God taught them a lesson He hopes will last a lifetime – they can put their confidence in His commands, in His promises. They had no reason to doubt God’s goodness.
So, when the need for food arose, He instructed Moses on what the people should do: “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no,” (Exodus 16:4).
Further reading gives us a bit more details:
- Vv. 11, 12 says, “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God” (emphasis added).
- V. 15 explains, “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.”
- And in v. 19, Moses instructed them to “Let no man leave of it till the morning.”
Every morning, when they opened their eyes, they were expected to walk by faith, depending on their daily provisions from God’s holy hand.
When they chose not to rely on God and to take matters into their own hands, and to keep some behind so that they wouldn’t have to worry about the next day, “it bred worms, and stank” (v. 20). When they decided they couldn’t trust God and believe that He would provide for their tomorrows, their personal, human efforts deteriorated right before their eyes. Instead of being beautiful and nourishing, it became something that was disgusting and unpleasant.
There are a lot of things we can be frugal with, but faith isn’t one of them. Jesus, in the Lord’s Prayer, called us to pray for “daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). Every morning we are reminded of our need for God, to pursue Him more, and again. As a tummy rumbling for morning nourishment, we are drawn to come to Him and be spiritually satisfied. We are leaning on the Father every single day for His holy provision: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him,” (Lamentations 3:22-24).
Every morning we get to reestablish our love for Him, reestablish our commitment to Him, and walk in His faithfulness another day. We get to come to Him, seeking our “manna” for the day, reaffirming He is our source. He is our God! He is our Portion (compare Jeremiah 51:19; Psalm 16:5; 73:26). He is the place where we not only find our holy sustenance, but it is where we trade the wrongs for what is right. It’s where we exchange the ashes of this life for the beauty of who He is.
“Every day” the children of Israel were commanded to go look for what God had for them. Every morning, their expectation and hope were to be on God alone. He, then, supplied their needs (Philippians 4:19) and sustained them for the day’s journey.
If your days seem limp and powerless, lacking the inspiration and sustenance for this time we live in, draw nearer to your daily Portion. Every morning partake of the Bread of Heaven so that your life may be properly fed.
In your pursuit to be properly fed, do as the children of Israel were instructed:
- Come daily. Every morning the promise of bread awaited them, but they were the ones who had to put in diligent effort to rise and go get it.
- Gather what was needed. Every family was allotted a certain amount so they lacked nothing of all God’s provisions. Don’t cut your time and opportunity short when you come to the Father. The Bible says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart,” Jeremiah 29:13. Wholly, go after your portion so that you lack nothing of all God has for you. Stay before Him and gather what is necessary for the day’s journey.
- Come back tomorrow and do it again. And the next day, and the next day, and so on. This is a life of longing – a life that refuses to go unsatiated. “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God,” (Psalm 42:1). Drawing nearer to God is to be our daily desire. He is our holy pursuit. Daily I am unsatisfied in my soul if I don’t come to Him and fill my appetite upon Him who is “I AM THAT I AM,” (Exodus 3:13).
The promise still remains: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled,” (Matthew 5:6).
Every morning, come and be filled.
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