| “These [all creatures] look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. ” |
| —Psalm 104:27-28 |
I usually buy groceries once a week. We, in America, generally like to “stock up,” so that we can feel certain that we won’t run out of anything. Some of us even like to visit the warehouse food stores, in order to save money by buying in bulk. Concerned about some disaster, some people even stock freeze-dried food and have large underground shelters full of provisions for any upcoming catastrophe.
Contrast all of this with the Israelites, who trekked across the wilderness for 40 years. Not only did they not have room for stock piles of food, they had no food to store. They literally lived hand-to-mouth. Every day they went out, as God had told them to do. Exodus 16:4, 12 explains:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions … In the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”
I’ve come to realize that our “Bread of Life,” the Lord Jesus Christ, wants us to come to Him daily for the provisions we need for each new day. We can’t “stock up” for the future. We must often come into His divine Presence.
When we gather physical food, we provide ourselves with all the nutrients we need for good health. We get calcium, protein, iron, vitamins and minerals of every kind—all to strengthen us for the day. Not only that, God has given us the capacity to enjoy our food with various tastes and smells.
Just so, we also need to come to our Lord for the spiritual food that we need to nourish our spiritual existence for each day. He has all the spiritual nutrients we need: strength, grace, peace, guidance, help, and much more. Along with these spiritual nutrients, He gives us the capacity to enjoy His provisions. Just as the frosting on a dessert blesses us with delight, so His joy comes as a spiritual “frosting” on top of all the other spiritual blessings He so lovingly provides for us.
God tests us to see if we can trust Him for our daily spiritual food. He will not give us grace for any of those future days we tend to worry about. But, He will grant us all we can gather up in His Presence each morning.
Please join me every morning, as we set aside a specific time, in order to gather the abundant provision God has for us. And, in the evening, let us remember with delight and with thanksgiving the tasty spiritual food He has given us for that day!
