Our Father Knows What You Need

Do you ever feel like you need something but you're not exactly sure what? Do you ever turn to something you think you need, maybe a nap, another cup of coffee, a vacation, or time to yourself, but it just doesn't seem to meet the need like you thought it would?

I have been there.

Today, I wrote in my prayer journal, "Help me eat the manna You provide for me today, all day." I wrote those words as the song Lilies and Sparrows was running through my head. Especially this part of the song:

Don't you know that your Father in Heaven knows just what your needing? Seek Him first and everything else that you need will be given Don't you see, He loves you much more than the lilies and sparrows Come and rest, don't waste today being scared of tomorrow

The idea that my Father will give me what I need just like He daily provided manna for the Israelites in the desert thousands of years ago, is what I read about as the sun started to peak above the horizon this morning.

"When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. And Moses told them, “It is the food the LORD has given you to eat. These are the LORD’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent.” Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” The Israelites called the food manna. It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey wafers."

(Exodus 16:14-16, 19, 31)

As I read these scriptures, here is what I observed:

God provided food for the Israelites every day, except for the Sabbath ( the day before the Sabbath, they could collect two days worth)
God provided for each individual what he or she needed
God instructed them to use all of the manna He provided each day
The manna was sweet

First, we can trust God to provide what we need every day not just in a general sense, but in a personal, individual, and intimate way. He knows every thought and every desire. He knows the reason for every tear, even when we don't. He knows our fears for the unknowns, our struggles to do those hard things, and when we feel so weak we don't know how to carry on. He knows our exhaustion resulting from the time and energy we pour into the people we care for. He knows everything about us.

Did you know that the Spirit intercedes on our behalf and knows what to pray for when we don't? This means that on the days we don't know what to ask for, the Spirit is already praying for precisely what we need and that God's will, will be done in our lives.

Second, God told the Israelites to use all the manna He provided each day. This is significant. We can go to our Father as many times a day as we need and His supply of help will not run out. He doesn't have to borrow from the next day's mercies, steadfast love, forgiveness, encouragement, etc. to provide for us on a day when we are feeling extra needy. He already knows what we will need each day and is prepared to provide. His supply is infinite.

Third, whether we readily recognize it or not, God's provision is always sweet because it is exactly what we need. It may not be what we want and it may not always feel sweet, but it will sustain and grow us. Did you know the Israelites eventually grew bored with the manna? Can you imagine waking up every morning to fresh, sweet, frost-like wafers on the ground that you could collect and enjoy throughout your day?

In a sense, we wake up every morning to fresh, sweet, frost-like manna, too.

In the New Testament, we read about a more important, essential "manna".

"Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (John 6:32-35)

Our fresh, sweet bread is Jesus.

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Jesus is our portion, and each morning when the first sunbeams kiss the morning dew, our fresh, sweet "manna" is there for us to collect. Every wafer of love, every wafer of mercy, every wafer of faithfulness, every wafer of grace, and every wafer of the Word is there for us to enjoy and rely on throughout our day.

As the song sings above, we can rest in Jesus. We don't need to waste today being scared about God's provision for tomorrow. It will be there as sure as the manna was for the Israelites and as sure as the sun rises every morning. Today, we can rely on, draw from, and enjoy all of what God has provided for us in Jesus.

Sincerely

~Amy