“Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.” ~ C.S. Lewis
A mountain climber must rely on his equipment to sustain him if climbing alone. A child riding to school in a car must rely on the driver for his safety. Sometimes we put our trust in objects and other times we put our trust in man. But the reality is, God alone sustains us! We are to rely on HIM for all of our needs. To rely is to depend on with full trust or confidence.
Relying on God requires faith, so there needs to be a certainty of His love hidden in our hearts. With this assurance, we are then able to trust His character and believe our every need will be met. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as a “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
A month after leaving Egypt, the children of God started to worry about running out of food. Many of the animals taken in the great exodus had already been slaughtered to feed the masses. The Lord was aware of their anxiety and wanted the Israelites to depend on Him for their survival. Therefore, He spoke to Moses and said,
“Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.” Exodus 16:4 (NKJV)
In a miraculous way, God provided food for His children. Manna, the bread God rained down from heaven, tasted like wafers made with honey. Their supernatural provision was sweet to the taste AND met their need for nourishment.
“Had rained down manna on them to eat, and given them of the bread of heaven. Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full.” Psalm 78:24 (NKJV)
“Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 (NKJV)
Jesus is the “Bread of Life.” He is our spiritual food. The Bible is the living Word of God and so we are to feed upon it, daily. Normally, one does not go a day or even a week without food. We need to eat in order to stay healthy and strong. Food gives our body energy and enables us to move throughout the day.
God likes to speak to us through analogies, so the feeding of our body with food is aligned to feeding our spirit with the Word of God. Our spirit needs the living Word to energize and move us through each day. Just as our physical body becomes weak and unhealthy without nourishment, our spirit becomes weak and unhealthy when we neglect the scriptures. But when we feed upon the Word, His instruction will become our encouragement. His love within us will become more obvious to others. Our actions will be more like that of Christ.
It is worth noting that the Israelites had to collect their food daily (except on the Sabbath). It took some measure of effort on their part to gather the manna, for it was as fine as frost. Our heavenly Father will always provide for our needs, but He expects an effort on our part.
If the Israelites did not collect the manna in the morning, it melted in the heat of the day. They had to make an effort to rise in the morning and gather in God’s provision before it spoiled. Furthermore, they could not gather extra (except for the Sabbath) and keep it overnight because it would go bad and breed worms. In order to sustain themselves, they had to collect manna daily. We are to follow their example and feed our spirit with the bread of life, daily.
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11 (NKJV)
For forty years, the Israelites wandered through the wilderness. Every day they ate the manna God provided. This is a reminder to rely on God for strength and provision during personal times of adversity and testing. Encouragement is provided throughout the Bible. We can find great comfort by reading about the many ways God helped His people in the past. He will help us today as well.
Meditate on the following scriptures and pray about seeking God daily.
“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.” Psalm 5:3 (NKJV)
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)
“My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning—Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.” Psalm 130:6 (NKJV)
“Look to the Lord and His strength; Seek His face always.” Psalm 105:4 (NKJV)
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
Categories: FAITH FOR TODAY, INSPIRATIONAL DEVOTIONS, INSPIRATIONAL PICTURES, THOUGHT FOR TODAY
Some days it is abundantly clear how much I need Christ. On the other days I’m delusional.
It is my prayer that you have more and more days where you are aware of your need for God and fewer days where you are, to use your own word,”delusional.”
Psalm 62:11
Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God.”
Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
I really appreciate your post cherylz. Your well-refined and articulated words for seeking and keeping trust on God has the power to cultivate even cynical minds. Please keep inspiring the souls who have lost their path to God and seeks a new light everyday to reach the almighty. God Bless You!
Dr. Johnston,
Your words of encouragement were such a blessing. Thank you! I’ll continue to write the words God places on my heart. It is my joy to encourage others in their Christian walk and spiritual journey. Every devotion is a labor of love and something I am learning myself or have already lived.God bless you. Cheryl
God bless for all your motivational words and inspiration! I have been struggling with personal issues for 10 years and have found reaching out online to seek the advice of others has helped me through the good and bad time. I have always had relationship issues and have started to follow the advice of Dr. Robi Ludwig. I saw her on a tv show once and I really appreciated her take on current psychological issues. I have been following her twitter for updates and advice https://twitter.com/drrobiludwig?lang=en
Hi Sasha,
Thanks for the comment. Glad to hear my post was an encouragement. Please check out my blog http://facingtrials.com and my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/cherylzelenkaauthor
Thank you for your blog post, its really inspiring and strongly knowing the word of God.
Thank you for your blog post, it was inspiring and strongly knowing the word of God.
Thanks for the comment.
Blessings,
Cheryl
Cheryl, I enjoyed reading your blog. I have a time every morning to spend with God, at least I try. Sometimes “stuff” gets in the way. If my morning with God was as important to me as the Israelites gathering manna for the day, I probably wouldn’t let anything get in the way. Thank you for your writing.
Thank you for your message, Mari. I applaud your effort to have a quiet time before your day starts. Things often distract us, but putting God first is so important. We all fall short when the cares of this world grab our attention. God honors our good intentions.