Manna

Author - César Muñoz

“Even when I’ve lost my taste for manna, it comes from heaven all the same.”

Hello friends! As a team, we are reading through the book of Numbers, and like I often do, I see a lot of myself in the way the Israelites act. Allow me to explain! In Exodus, God performs the miracle of providing manna for the Israelites as they wander through the wilderness. This is not a “small” miracle, especially when considering the number of people that needed to be fed. We know that in Numbers when Moses takes a census of the Israelites, there are over six hundred thousand men over the age of 20. And if you count women and children, we can estimate that the number of Israelites was anywhere between two and four million people at this time. And God rained down bread from HEAVEN every single day. The Bible says that “he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack.” God provided manna for the Israelites daily, and later in the book of Numbers; we see the Israelites grow TIRED of manna—literal bread from heaven. I can think of reading this a few times and thinking the Israelites are so ungrateful.

But after some reflection, I took a step back and realized I was no better than the Israelites. God might not give me “manna,” per se, but I am so blessed by him every single day. Much like God provided for His people in the wilderness, he provides for me. And he is just as abundant as he is to the Israelites in the wilderness. God has given me amazing Christ-loving friends all around me whom I often take for granted. He has given me the breath in my lungs, the family I hold so close to my heart, and he allows me to experience joy and happiness daily. He shows his love to me through Jauhmar, Keyshawn, Sydney, and Emma. And much like the Israelites lost their taste for manna, I lose sight of the blessing all these things are in my life, and just how much God provides for me daily. He has always provided me with food to fill my belly, a place to lay my head, a church to love me, friends to embrace me, family to cling to, and an able body to work out and do the things I enjoy. All these things are from God, and I lose my taste for them sometimes. So, I have no right to be upset with how the Israelites respond to God because that makes me a hypocrite.

Today, I took a moment to pray and listen to God, and I decided to journal during this time of prayer. It was during this time I realized just how silly I probably looked to God for criticizing the Israelites in the Old Testament. I imagine him chuckling to himself as ol’ sinful Cesar criticizes His people for doing exactly what I do daily. Much like the Israelites in the wilderness, I go back and forth sometimes daily, praising God for his provision and then asking or even demanding more as if He has not already provided all that I need.

So, with that, I ask you, what is your “manna” that God gives you daily? And do you take it for granted? Are you grateful every day that He provides you with whatever your “manna” is? Because truthfully, I am not. And I pray He opens my eyes to see His provision in every aspect of my life. From the big things to the cup of coffee I have every morning. I want to see God's provision in all of it. I think we should all try to be more thankful for Him and His many blessings.

As I bring this blog to a close, I truthfully feel so blessed. I am thankful for even the opportunity to share with you. Thank you so much for reading! I hope this blog brought you joy and a little food for thought.

The song for this post is Manna by Chris Renzema.

Blessings!