I’ve been feeling on the weak side lately. Not physically, but emotionally. I look to the future and see a string of hard times on the horizon and it really makes me nervous. I have this ability to look ahead and anticipate. Which is good when I’m packing, or going camping, or creating a schedule. It’s not such a good ability when I anticipate anxiety…because you know what happens? It makes me more anxious.
And, if you know me…you probably know I’m a bit of a nervous bird as is.
Derek, on the other hand does not have this certain charm about him. Which, on the downside, is annoying when he packs for the camping trip…but on the upside keeps him very calm and level. I guess that’s one of the reasons we work so well together.
In the midst of my anxious flare-ups I was doing some cleaning a few days ago. Under a stack of magazines I stumbled across a note that I had made at church a few months ago. I remember writing it. The Holy Spirit had spoken to my heart and I wanted to remember what He’d said, so I reached for the only paper I could find: a tithe envelope. The note was simple, but enough to jog my memory. It read:
God will give strength to us like Manna.
Here’s what I meant.
Are you familiar with the Biblical tale of Moses, the Israelites and the Manna? If not, you can read the full version here. Otherwise, I’ll just do a quick paraphrase to get us all on the same page.
After the plagues had come and gone and Moses led his people across the Red Sea the Israelite people found themselves in the desert, losing the adrenaline rush of saying “Adios” to Pharaoh. They were hungry and thirsty, so they began complaining. Moses appealed to God, who told them that He would solve the problem.
Every morning God would provide “manna” {which literally translates to mean “bread from heaven”} to the camp. It would appear with the dew and each family was to collect only what they would consume that day. No more. To make this deal even sweeter, God provided quail for them in the evening. Same deal: gather only what you’ll eat. Keep none of it until morning.
Well, what the Holy Spirit impressed upon me is that God doles out strength like manna. Why? Doesn’t that seem a bit cruel? Why not just give us all the strength we need for the rest of our lives today? I can’t answer all of these questions as well as I’d like, but what I can assure you is that God wants us to trust Him and to love Him. He wanted to test the Israelites to see if they would follow His instructions and depend on Him. The same is true in our lives. God does not need our money or our good works. One of the greatest way we can show our love and devotion to Him is to take Him at His Word; to lean on Him…not our own understanding.
The Bible tells us in Isaiah 40:29 that, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” This is a promise. When we grow weary He will give strength to those who love His ways and wait upon Him.
I have a hard time with that.
I’m pretty sure my attitude and insistence on being anxious about things that are still to come would have gotten me kicked out of the Israelite camp. I probably would have been one of those obnoxious people who collected more manna and quail than I needed for that day {looking to the future…to that big dry spot ahead}. But, as the Bible tells us…that didn’t work out so well. Those who tried to keep food for the next day woke up to a rotting mess of maggots. Woof.
I’m so happy God has reminded me of this. I really want to wake up to confidence and hope…instead of a lump of buggy bread. I’m human, so I know I’m inclined to get nervous and anxious. In those moments I’ll remind myself too look at the worries of today {only today} and know that God will give me enough manna for today.
And he’ll give you enough manna too.