Give us our daily bread

Exodus 16

God did not only deliver Israel but He was able to feed them with manna for 40 years. He gave them meat in the evening and manna in the morning. Why? Because He created all things and can command them to appear before His people. There is nothing impossible for Him.

What can we learn from this chapter to continuously trust in God?

#1. The problem of no food to the people. (Exodus 16:1-3)

When the people of God moved to the wilderness of Sin, they experienced a major setback – there was no food for them to eat. Hence, they started complaining against Moses and Aaron and wished that they had been in Egypt. Many people forget the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord in the heat of major challenges in life. Challenges are not meant to kill us but they merely reveal our strength of trust in the Lord. When they faced the challenge of having no food, they forgot the Lord who provided water.

#2. The promise of meat and bread to the people. (Exodus 16:4-12)

The Lord, as usual, heard the complaints of the congregation of the people. He then promised them to give them meat in the evening and bread in the morning. Whatever we say, whether good or bad, is heard by the Lord. He heard their cries and promised supply. There was no need for them to complain when they faced the challenge of no food to eat because the Lord was in their midst to supply their necessities of life. It seems sometimes we forget the capability of the Lord to supply our needs. We forget He is the creator of all things. We forget He calls things that are not as if they are.

#3. The provision of meat and bread to the people. (Exodus 16:13-16)

Not only did God promise them that He will supply their needs of food, He actually did it. He appeared to them in the evening and gave them meat and then bread in the morning which they called manna. Where did the meat and bread come from? We don’t know. But one thing is certain that God could have commanded meat and bread to appear in abundance or cause all the needed meat and bread to come from wherever they had been made. The Bible says that there is nothing impossible for our God. What is it that you want Him to do for you? Make it known to Him and He will do much more than you expect.

#4. The prescription for gathering manna on Sabbath Day. (Exodus 16:17-36)

God also gave them guidelines on how to gather their daily supplies and more importantly how to get supply on the Sabbath Day since they do not work on that day. He made double provision to cater for those days. They did not have to worry. If He is able to supply for 6 days, one day is easy for Him to take care of. God is awesome. Romans 8:32 says that, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” He is miraculously awesome and will do more than we expect.

God is able to provide for His people. Jesus used 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes to feed 5000 and 4000 people on two different occasions. Trust in Him and see His abundant supply in your life.

Take Action: Present your needs to the Lord and trust Him for solutions.