Our Daily Bread

“He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then He gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” Deuteronomy 8:3


Still sleepy, she stretches and yawns slowly rising. The cool morning air immediately fills her nostrils as she rises from her bed on the ground. She quickly grabs a basket as she pulls back the door of her tent to begin her most important task for the day. She stops short upon seeing the white covered ground and stands there in wonder. She first awoke to this site over 4,000 days ago yet the thrill of God’s daily provision never ceases to amaze her. She bends down and begins to gather enough manna to feed her and her family. As she holds the food of the angels in her palm she contemplates this “what” as they call it, this “manna.” Nothing special about these white flakes, nothing in its appearance to make it desirable, yet it nourishes...it saves. It provides all that is needed to sustain for that day…yet, so much more. As she continues to collect the manna she quiets her soul and listens. She knows they laugh at her for her reverence in this duty that has become mundane for many. But if she really listens with her heart she hears more than the gossip and chattering around her. It is as though each morning through this mysterious bread, God speaks.

“What” is it saying?

Deuteronomy 32:2 says, “Let my teaching fall like rain and my words settle like dew.” Every morning the manna spoke volumes of God’s faithfulness. His promises were declared gloriously every morning. He would provide...He would provide…He would provide…And not only bread to meet our physical needs but a Savior to meet our spiritual needs. The manna not only told of the “what” it told of the “Who”. Its physical state foretold of the Messiah…the bread of Life. The white manna fell from Heaven. Jesus, pure and spotless descended to earth.

They ate manna in the wilderness yet died, but those that eat of the true bread from Heaven will never die (John 6:32-35). Just as God provided the manna for the Israelites to eat, He gave His only Son as living bread. “And He [Jesus] took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘This is My body, which is given for you.’”(Luke 22:19). God provided manna, they gathered it. God provides His Son, we accept Him. The rest is blessed grace!

In the quiet of the morning the faithfulness of the manna falling proclaimed loudly the faithfulness of God to give us what we need to live today…and to give us what we need to live eternally. Only Jesus, The Word made flesh, can satisfy our hungry souls.

Sleepily she awoke and walked to the kitchen window and opened the blinds. As the sun was rising and dew shining, she opened her Bible. As she did each morning, she prayed, “Lord, speak…” She knew this was the most important part of her day. She needed to hear from Him before she could accomplish all she needed to do for her family. And just as every other morning, God was faithful. He gave her words to nourish her soul. He gave her what she needed for that day…and so much more. She stood and gazed down at the words He had provided…nothing so grand that she heard angels sing as she read them, yet she stood in wonder. The thrill of God’s Word never ceased to amaze her. No matter how often you eat of it, you never reach the bottom. His provision is perfect every day and continues for eternity. “Your words were found, and I ate them.” (Jeremiah 15:16).

Next door, a neighbor she barely knows kneels in her bedroom watching the same sun rise. “Oh, if only today would be different.” She hasn’t been asleep yet…what a night. She thought she was over it…over him, but than again he calls and then again she stumbles. She feels the shame over her more intensely than the clothes she is wearing. Through blurred vision she spots a Bible on her nightstand she hasn't opened in years. Someone calls to her from within it but she is afraid…afraid of what He will say. Desperate for change she grabs it anyway…and the manna falls…and His mercy is new…

Here I sit, my Bible open and my soul yearning. “I am so hungry, Lord!” And He speaks, “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:10). On my knees, head tilted up and mouth wide open, I wait…I wait for the Word of God to fall like rain. I know it will come because He is faithful.


“The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.” Isaiah 40:8