Manna: What Is It?

My toddler wakes up in the morning with one thing on her mind: toast. How do I know? It’s the first word out of her mouth the moment her feet hit the floor. She loves toast, and she wants it every single day. She loves toast so much, she can’t even wait for it to finish toasting. So, she eats half a piece of plain bread while the other half toasts.

There’s so much about my toddler’s vibrance and vigor for life that I admire. This may seem like a silly one, but physical hunger and the desire to fill it is such a natural part of life. Just ask the Israelites in the wilderness. They had one thing on their mind: food.

Exodus 16:2-3

And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: and the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

God had brought them out of the land of Egypt, but they weren’t too thrilled about it. What was the point of being free if they were going to starve to death? But they could have trusted the God who set them free to take care of their every need. He had no intention of letting them starve.

Exodus 16:4

Then said the Lord unto Moses, 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.

God heard the cries of his children for toast, and He was going to provide bread from heaven to meet their needs.

Exodus 16:14-15

And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 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.

Have you ever wondered where the name “manna” came from? It literally means, “What is it?” The Israelites had no clue what this white stuff on the ground was! It wasn’t snow in the desert; it was a miracle even greater. God had provided for their most basic need, even when they didn’t believe He would. I can trust that God will provide for my needs as well.

God wanted so much more than to meet their physical needs. He had a lesson to teach them, and He wanted to provide for their spiritual needs as well. I’ll be sharing more about manna on the blog next Friday. If you don’t want to miss it, make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter by leaving your name and email address below. I’ll send a fresh devotional to your inbox every week, as well as a link to my latest blog post so you never miss a thing. (You’ll also get my 60 Second Quiet Time in your inbox today, absolutely free!)