Exodus 16-17 | Our Daily Bread Provider

God has so designed our bodies that we need to eat every day. He could have made us differently, but He made us to need fuel and there is more than a physical reason for this.

FUEL AND FAITH

In the earliest days of Israelite history, Moses was leading over a million Jews from the bondage of Egypt into the Promised Land. Along the way, God used every issue to teach them. He was preparing a people who would walk in a new way … a way of continual dependency upon Him. (He has this same teaching program for us, by the way, every day).

Soon on their journey, they ran out of food and complained. God told Moses that He would provide daily bread and, in the process, test the people to see if they would trust Him every single day for their needs.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction (Exodus 16:4).

The next morning, bread was on the ground, theirs for the taking. But God instructed them to take just enough for one day. If they took more, it would spoil. He wanted them to see His precise care for them and He wanted to develop their daily faith.

18 When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat.

19 Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.”

20 But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul, and Moses was angry with them.

21 They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt. (Exodus 16)

OUR DAILY BREAD

God is in a relentless campaign to lead us from independency to dependency. We are not made to live without God as C.S. Lewis reminds us.

“God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.”

Later, when Jesus was teaching us how to pray in Matthew 6, He told us we should pray this prayer each day, “Give us this day our daily bread.” As we do, He will always provide and we will always know that it came from Him, as every good and perfect gift does.

NOT BY BREAD ALONE

The great purpose in the daily provision of God for us is to teach us that “man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Deuteronomy 8:3) In other words, trusting Him and seeing Him supply for our needs daily builds our faith. And faith is God’s operating system with man.

As you are in need (of anything) ask God! “You have not because you ask not” (James 4:2). Ask humbly and for the right reasons. Ask so that God will be glorified. And simply ask for what you genuinely need.

He promises to provide for His children who look to Him. In fact, He delights in giving these daily gifts. And, as you trust and He provides, you will be fed, God will be glorified, and the world will gain a right opinion about God.

Father, thank You that You are the absolute source of my daily bread. Provide what I need today. I trust You. And give me the continued grace to look to You DAILY for all my needs and to thank you DAILY as You provide!