By: Rebecca Feere
If you grew up in church, as I did, you’re familiar with the story of God providing manna to sustain the people of Israel during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Perhaps, if you are of my generation, you can picture the flannel-graph board — the origin of media in churches, pre-YouTube.
It is easy for these stories to seem like just that — stories we read to our children before bed, stories with happy endings that make us feel good. But this account, as well as every adventure of the Israelites recorded in Scripture, is powerful. God inspired faithful men to record these stories, and God has preserved them in His Word for us for a reason.
As we read in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” These are much more than feel-good stories to tell our children and grandchildren; they are stories from which people of all ages can learn more about God’s power, love, provision and sovereignty. In short, these Old Testament stories reveal God’s glory.
Recently, while reading through the book of Exodus, I took some time to slow down and reflect on the story of the miraculous manna – bread from heaven, found in Exodus 16. It is always insightful and good practice to look at the big picture and examine the story within the context of what is happening in the book of the Bible you are reading and studying. God had recently and powerfully delivered His people from Egypt (Ex 12:33-42). Shortly after this (Ex 14), the people found themselves cornered between the Red Sea and the advancing Egyptian army! It seemed there was no way out. But God made a way and parted the sea, allowing them to cross on dry ground. Exodus 15 records the “Song of Moses.” In response to this most recent deliverance, the people rejoiced and sang praises to God for rescuing them from their enemies! Chapter 15 closes with God making the bitter water sweet at Marah (Ex 15:22-26). Once again, God proved Himself to be faithful and able to provide for the needs of His people. He is their Healer (Ex 15:26b).
That lands us in our story, the story of the manna in Exodus 16. These people had seen and experienced God’s miraculous power in delivering them from Egypt. God had made a way through the seemingly impassable Red Sea and provided them with enjoyable, refreshing drinking water from a bitter spring. We read this and think, Wow, these people have seen God do miracles; what an incredible way to live. It’s so obvious that God was with them and for them. And then Exodus 16:2 says, “The whole congregation of the Israelites grumbled…” “Hold on, they grumbled!” we say in a self-righteous, stuffy tone, quite sure we would not have been part of the grumblers. These people had EVERY reason to rejoice in God. They had just been singing, dancing, and praising God. They turned a corner, set out on the next leg of the journey (Ex 16:1) and forgot who was in control. If we’re honest, it’s us, too, at times.
But God is a God of unlimited grace. In response to the grumbling, God tells Moses He will send “bread from heaven” so the people will not go hungry, nor will they have to worry about where their food is coming from. Every morning, amid the dew, this bread from heaven (and what they would name manna – Ex 16:31) would appear. God set some regulations for gathering the manna because He knows the sinful hearts of humans. God knows how easily we can turn a good and gracious gift into a mess. The manna would appear six days a week. Every household was to gather enough for that day. No scooping up a few extra baskets just in case God forgot about us tomorrow. Nope – God promised to give them just what they needed daily. There were a few who doubted and gathered extra. The following day, that extra manna stank and was infested with worms – not a pleasant way to wake up in your tent. The only exception was on the sixth day of the week, God instructed them to gather enough manna for two days. That ensured that they would have enough for the Sabbath day and could honour God on the day He had commanded them to rest. And the extra gathered on the sixth day did not spoil overnight. Only a holy, all-powerful, omniscient God could provide and manage all this!
There are many lessons we can learn from this story. God sent the manna to feed His people, but He also wanted to teach them, and us, what it looks like to trust Him. They learned to act on the grace of God daily by collecting that day’s manna and enjoying it; no restriction or gathering extra for tomorrow was required, except on the sixth day. They also learned to trust that God would provide for tomorrow. I can’t help but think that on the first day, quite a few families had stashed some extra for the next day, but they also learned quickly that their methods and plans were not better than God’s (Pro 16:9).
We are now in the fourth month of 2025. We do not collect manna from the yard each morning. However, the lessons found in this passage are also for us. What is your “manna?” What is it that you need that you have no way of accomplishing on your own? Where do you need God’s manna — His gracious provision? What is it in your life that feels impossible and impassable?
We often focus on the formidable future. We wonder how we will make it through tomorrow. Remember, God only gives manna (grace) for today. Tomorrow’s manna will be there tomorrow. We don’t always know how, but we do know the One Who is able to provide. The manna may not be the cure, the final solution, or the prodigal’s return, but it will be the grace, the supernatural sustaining power that only God can provide to get us through the next stage of our journey. His grace is sufficient for each season, for each day. If God were to give us, or if He had given the Israelites, tomorrow’s manna today, we would start to feel self-sufficient. Before long, we would forget God and start trusting in ourselves. Who needs God when we have everything under control? Suddenly, we are trusting in our abilities, intellect, finances, plans, and so on to meet our needs. The deceitfulness of pride and self-sufficiency can cause us to quickly forget how desperately we need God, every day and in every moment.
“Act on the grace God gives you today.”1 Whatever challenge you face today, He will provide the means to take the next step. Gather the manna for today. Every day, we have the opportunity to approach His throne of grace with confidence, to receive mercy, and to find grace to help us in our time of need (Heb 4:16). Pray for His wisdom to see, use, and rejoice in His provision for today.
“Wait confidently for the grace God will give you tomorrow.”2 Wake up tomorrow with hopeful anticipation of how God will show up and provide for you and those you love. As we take our fears and worries to God, we will grow in our faith in the One who is able and wise to provide what we need when we need it (Ps 90:14).
1 Welch, Edward, When I Am Afraid, 20.
2 Welch, Edward, When I Am Afraid, 20.
