Manna Mania

WARNING: Too much of a good thing may be hazardous to your health. This public service announcement is brought to you today because there is a disturbing trend going on in our society: Those who are the most blessed seemed to be the most ungrateful!

Unfortunately, this isn’t as recent a development as one would believe. This kind of ingratitude has occurred since the Israelites were led out of Egypt. When God delivered His people out of slavery, He made sure they were well cared for and well fed all the way to the Promised Land. Each morning, He would send down manna, a versatile food substance that provided all the nutrients they needed to remain strong and healthy. And each day, He provided just enough—no more or no less than was needed.

One would think that the wilderness wanderers would be delighted. No having to hunt or forage for food. No need to worry whether there would be enough to last the week. But no—like many of us today, the Israelites were not satisfied with God’s provision. Even in the first days of receiving the manna, some tried to horde it and “leave a little extra” for the next day. But the leftover manna was rotten the next morning! How often are we concerned today that God’s provision is not enough to last us day in and day out? We want assurance that we will have “enough” for the next week or the year after, instead of trusting in His continuous providence.

After a while, the Israelites also started to take the manna for granted. Like many of us, they looked at God’s blessing and said, “Oh really, this again? Ho hum!” When we consider how blessed we are—no matter what our current circumstance at the present moment—we should be overjoyed with even the “little blessings” He provides us with day after day. But how often do we act like God owes them to us?

Probably one of the most troubling responses to our daily manifestation of manna is our attitude of complacency. One of the sternest warnings God gave to the Israelites was for them to not forget who He is. They were instructed to continue to worship and follow Him as they did for 40 years in the wilderness. Today, many of us have become so accustomed to God giving us what we need, we become apathetic about our praise and adoration of Him.

Luke 12:48 says, “…From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” God gives us His best and expects us to show appreciation. When we let our light shine so that others see our work and give God thanks, we show our gratitude for our daily manna.

As the Lord continues to keep the manna coming, let’s be careful to remember to always give Him the praise!