My Manna

Ever left the dishes in the sink a little too long?

Or, maybe, put off the changing of the cat litter until the clumping factor has lost its “clump”?

And, darn that pile of wet, stinky laundry that just never quite made it down the stairs and into the washing machine!

My kids really get tired of me asking them to do these, and other necessary evils around the house.  Sadly for me, sometimes they know that it will drive me crazy and they wait me out.  And, often I’ll just end up just doing them myself because I cannot stand the smell or grime any longer. 

But most of the time, they just hear me say, “Delayed obedience is still… Disobedience!”

And yesterday, God said the very same thing to my heart.

Funny how being a parent can help you get a sense of how God must see us as His children.

You see I’ve had this very strong heart’s desire to follow hard after God and to pursue my writing.  I want to honor Him and bless others with the wisdom He flows into my heart and mind.

There are times that I get these “holy cow” ideas and inspirations and cannot wait to write about them.  I get them when I’m running or working out.  I get them when I’m waiting to pick up a carpool of kids, or whenever….  But then I get distracted and busy with the next event or task and forget to take the time to sit and write out the thoughts that God has placed on my heart.  And at the end of the day, when I remember, I feel regret  and simply make excuses or rationalizations about how busy I am or how I’ll get to it when life becomes a little more sane.

Until yesterday, when God said to me, “Delayed obedience is still… Disobedience!”

All those moments of inspiration that came over me and blessed my heart are like dreams I had at night.  You know how you wake up certain that you will remember the dream.  But later that day you can only line up together bits and pieces.  And the big picture and beauty of it are now gone.

Try telling that dream to someone else.  It makes no sense to you and sounds crazy to anyone with whom you share it.

It was no dream what God did for the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.

In Exodus 16, the Bible tells us of how the Israelites circled the desert, continuously cycling though their search for God, learning His commands, obeying Him and then altering His commands to fit their lifestyle a “little better”.

Hmmm!  That didn’t work out.  Life not going so well for them; let’s start the cycle again: search for God, learn His commands, obey Him and then…

You see, back in the wilderness, there was not much to eat.  The Israelites complained to their leader, Moses.  Even after God had led them out of slavery in Egypt and promised them a better life, they kept losing their way.  So God provided nourishment along the way.

Exodus 16:4   The Lord said to Moses, “I’m going to send you food from heaven like rain. Each day the people should go out and gather only what they need for that day. In this way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.

13 – 15  …in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.  When the dew was gone, the ground was covered with a thin layer of flakes like frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they asked each other, “What is this?” because they didn’t know what it was.  Moses said to them, “It’s the food the Lord has given you to eat.

21 Each morning they gathered as much food as they could eat. When the sun was hot, it melted away.

31 The Israelites called the food manna. It was like coriander seeds. It was white and tasted like wafers made with honey.

Many of us have heard this story so many times that it has lost its wonder.  God provided for these people for 40 years!  It even says in Exodus that their shoes and clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell!  (look it up)

Walking around for 40 years in the same shoes! C’mon!  Do you see some wonder!

And for the manna, World English Dictionary lists several definitions to include:

1.  Divine or spiritual food

2.  Any sudden or unexpected help, advantage, or aid to success.

So, God said to me, “Delayed obedience is still… Disobedience!”

And then He said, “I refresh your soul each day with the rain of spiritual food to aid in your success.  But you need to gather it each morning and follow My instruction.  For when the day is done, it will melt away like in a dream.  But while it is on your tongue, it will be as sweet as honey.”

For those who question me, I am not one who hears an audible, booming voice from the heavens.  But, I do hear the clear voice of God.  It is deep in my spirit.  It is deep within my soul.  The words spoken in the quote above are simply paraphrased from Exodus 16 above.  But, I KNOW they are for me.

I may not be able to go back and gather manna from the past, as it has melted away.  But, I will not regret.  For I have learned my lesson in obedience.

If I want to get out of my wilderness and show God that I am ready to pass this “test to see if I will follow” His instructions, then I will not look back.

He is my God.  He provides manna daily for me.

It will be sweet to me and to those with whom I share it.

I will seek Him and I will share Him.

I will follow hard after Him.

I will obey Him by gathering the manna daily and taking the time to write it down.

I love You, Lord!