Reflections of Joy: Manna

On my way to the “promised land,” the place of blessing and ease, God feeds me with manna. Manna literally means “what is it.” And when I’m faced with day-to-day struggles, not knowing why I’m given trials to digest and I ask God, “what is this?” I know that I have a choice. I can take in what is before me and be nourished by His hand or I can refuse and go hungry. I can complain about my life like the early Israelites, and take another round trip of wilderness living. But it’s in the lean time of hardships where the Lord comes and feeds my soul and spirit. It’s in those times where I know that there is nothing I can do on my own to make my life sweeter, and I recognize that God alone will give the relief, the peace, and the ultimate joy.

Deuteronomy 8: 11&16… “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God… who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know that He might test you, to do good in the end.”

Trusting God through the hard times is not easy and it’s hard to see through it to the other side. But, with my journals of remembrance, I can recount His faithfulness in times past, and move forward holding His hand and taking in His manna (His daily provision of grace and mercy) with peace.