Ah, here is the dilemma:  Is what I need, really what I want?  When the people of Israel listened and followed the will of God, the Lord provided them with a physical nourishment that lasted for forty years.  Do you think that they wanted to eat manna for forty years?  Don’t you think that their “wants” may have gotten in the way of accepting this wondrous gift?

Moses had instructed them to gather only what they needed for one day.  Those who gathered more than needed found that the food became “full of worms and began to stink.”  On the sixth day, they were directed to gather enough food for two days in order to honor the Sabbath.  Those who did not do this found that there that there was no manna to be found on the Sabbath.

The Israelites’ faith in Yahweh was challenged with these tests of obedience.  When they obeyed, their needs were satisfied.  When they placed their “wants” above their needs, they found great disappointment and physical discomfort. 

This struggle between my will and God’s will continues today.  When I listen to the Lord’s voice and accept God’s will for me, my needs are met; my life is in order.  I am sure that I would have struggled with eating manna for forty years!  My willingness to submit my will to God’s would have been sorely tested.  But my physical need for nourishment would have been met.  God always looks out for my needs.

Read Exodus 16: 27-35 and remember that God loves you unconditionally.

Terri