I’m in a men’s group that focuses on personal growth. At the first meeting, the leader asked each person to introduce themselves and then share one of their highest moments in life and also one of their lowest points. As each man shared, I began to see a common thread of seasons of pain these men had been through. One man said it was a lot easier to think of the hardest times in his life than the good ones. Jokingly he asked if he could share two low points rather than one of each. We tend to remember the times in our life when we’ve hot rock bottom or when we struggled to make progress. In the moment we weren’t sure we could make it through. However, looking back, we can see God’s grace was sufficient for the moment we were in.
In Exodus 16, the Israelites had been set free from 400 years of Egyptian slavery. God had promised them a land of their own and they were on their way. They had seen the mighty hand of God moving on their behalf to set them free. They had walked through the Red Sea on dry ground, yet they found themselves in a wilderness that made them want to return to their pain and suffering. They began to complain to God asking for food. In verse 12 God told Moses, “I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites; speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God’ ” (AMP). God gave them manna for the moment they were in. It was sufficient for the day. They were to take what they needed and nothing more. God did this until they reached the land He had promised.
In Matthew 6, the disciples had asked Jesus to teach them to pray. He began reciting what we call the Lord’s Prayer. You’ve probably prayed it thousands of times, but there’s something right in the middle of it that reminds us of that manna. In verse 11 He prayed, “Give us this day our daily bread.” God has always given us what we need for the moment. Jesus taught us to pray for it without complaining. If you’re standing in one of the low points of your life right now, I want you to know there is grace to sustain you in this moment. Like the Israelites, you’ll need to go to God to get it daily. Use this time to lean on Him and to learn to trust in Him. If you’re in one of the higher points or have come through a low point, don’t stop going to Him for your daily bread. The manna He gives is fresh every day and is provided for you to keep trusting Him as you go through this life.
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 