My daughter-in-law and I were chatting on the phone about an upcoming move for her, my son, and their four-month-old baby boy. This precious young family is stepping out in faith and moving to a new state, town, address, and job. There are many moving parts to leaving what you know and entering into a new, unknown space.
Lindsay expressed her concern over all the unknowns related to their upcoming move. She said, “I’ve been afraid of running out of energy and resources, wondering what tomorrow will hold. I started turning my worry into prayer and I asked God for peace. He responded, ‘I haven’t given you enough for tomorrow…I’ve given you enough for today!’”
Her experience reminds me of the manna given to the Israelites who left Egypt under Moses and God’s direct guidance. For forty years, God provided everything they needed to live, including food in the shape of manna. An interesting stipulation to God’s daily provision was that the people only took enough for that day. This propelled them to trust God to provide enough the next day.
When the layer of dew had lifted, there on the wilderness ground was a fine flaky something, fine as frost on the ground. The Israelites took one look and said to one another, man-hu (What is it?). They had no idea what it was. So Moses told them, “It’s the bread God has given you to eat. And these are God’s instructions: ‘Gather enough for each person, about two quarts per person; gather enough for everyone in your tent.’” The People of Israel went to work and started gathering, some more, some less, but when they measured out what they had gathered, those who gathered more had no extra and those who gathered less weren’t short—each person had gathered as much as was needed. Exodus 16:15-18 MSG
Lord Jesus, You are our manna, the Bread of Life. You give us enough sustenance to get through each day. Just as the Israelites gathered manna in the morning, so should we meditate on You before the day begins, feeding on Your Word and listening to Holy Spirit whisper truth and encouragement into our hearts and minds. Please bless our children’s move and may all You’ve already prepared for them come to pass. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Lisa M. Neal