Manna – Our Daily Bread

One of the most important things Jesus taught us to pray for is for our daily bread. 

“Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).

God wants to give us daily bread. He has a provision for us every day. He promises to provide all that we need. He is Jehovah-Jireh, which means that he is our Provider.

“My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

God promises to provide for our material needs.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus promises to provide our material needs as we seek first his kingdom.

God will also provide for all our spiritual needs. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). All that we need spiritually is found in Jesus Christ. We need the word of God. As we meditate on and obey the word of God, we will grow strong.

We need spiritual food more than we need material food. If we have material things without spiritual things, we have nothing of real value. But if we have spiritual riches, no matter what our material situation is, we can be content.

In the Old Testament, God gave the Israelites manna. Manna was a supernatural food that gave the Israelites supernatural strength to get to the Promised Land.

Manna represents the daily bread that God wants to give to us.

Manna is written about in Exodus 16.

Every day the Israelites had to go out and get manna. This daily process showed their continual dependance on God. 

Manna represents our daily bread from God. God has daily bread to give to us. We need to ask God for this daily bread.

Manna came to the Israelites in the morning. God’s mercies are new every morning. In God’s mind, every day is a new day. Even though we may have made mistakes yesterday, today can be different. God is merciful to us today. Even though yesterday was full of trouble, today can be full of blessing. God makes every day new, and he has new spiritual provision and supply for every day.

Manna appeared on the ground. To get manna, a person had to bend over to the ground. This represents humility. If we want to get a word from God, we need to humble ourselves.

Manna appeared after the dew. The dew represents the Holy Spirit. The word of God is deposited into our lives by the working of the Holy Spirit. The more we are full of the Holy Spirit, the more daily bread we will have from God.

Manna was small. It was not obvious. The Israelites had to look for it. The word of God is sometimes small. Sometimes we don’t recognize what God is doing because it doesn’t come with a loud sound. The word of God is not noisy like the words from Satan. We need to listen carefully for God’s word.

Manna was white. This represents holiness. The word of God is holy. When we get a word from God, it will cleanse us as we obey it. The word of God sanctifies us from the defilements of the world.

The word manna means “what is it?” Manna was not like anything the Israelites had seen before. This is how the word of God is. God’s ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Sometimes we don’t understand the word of God because it is different from our way of thinking. But if we are to get daily bread from God, we have to be open to the unexpected.

Manna was only good for one day, and it could not be stored up for the next day. If manna was kept up for the next day, it would rot. This represents that when we get a word from God we need to obey it. We shouldn’t delay obedience until tomorrow, because we don’t know what can happen tomorrow. The word of God is for implementation, not just for increasing our knowledge. Knowledge is great, but knowledge can puff up. Love and obedience builds up.

When the Israelites got manna, they all took it back to the camp and measured it all out. Then they all shared. Each one got as much as he needed. Some people could gather more, and others could gather little, but there was always enough for everyone at the end. This represents that we need the body of Christ in order to be blessed with daily bread. Some people may get more bread from God, and others may get less, but when we come together in fellowship, the word of God will be enough to feed everyone. This is the beauty and necessity of the body of Christ. Sunday mornings are particularly important for our individual growth, as we can be blessed with the spiritual supply of others when we are hungry.

Manna had to be gathered every day. This means that there is a routine involved in hearing from God. We need bread every day. We need to ask God every day to feed us spiritually. If we go without spiritual food, we will wither and become weak. In order to get the word of God every day, we need to spend time in the word and prayer. We must do this even when we don’t feel like it. There must have been days when the Israelites didn’t want to go out and get manna, but they forced themselves to do it anyway because they knew this was their necessary food. Similarly, even if we don’t feel like praying or reading the Bible, we need to do it anyway. This is part of routine, and this is important for our spiritual growth. Let’s not base our spiritual life on feelings, otherwise it will be very inconsistent. We must base our spiritual life on the word of God. Then we can maintain spiritual disciplines.

The manna melted in the sun. Before the sun came up, and the Israelites began focusing on other works of the day, they had to get the Manna. This shows that when we are busy, it can be hard to get a word from God. We may not have time to read the Bible or pray. We need to set aside a time to do this so that we won’t be distracted with our other daily tasks.

Finally, Manna was very tasty. It was like wafers made with honey. The word of God is the best food there is. It is like honey that feeds our souls. There are a lot of other words in the world today – they pour out from the TV, internet, and radio. These words often don’t help us. But sometimes we think these words are tastier than God’s word. This is a lie. God’s word is the best, and it is the only sustenance that will get us through this wilderness to the Promised Land of the fullness of the kingdom of God. God’s word is supernatural food for us, a heavenly, supernatural people.

Let us pray, “Give us today our daily bread.” As you do, know that God wants to bless you, even more than you want to be blessed.