We serve the One True God who supplies all our needs.
· Philippians 4:19 - But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
While the Israelites wandered in the desert, God provided manna from heaven that had to be collected each day and twice as much the day before the Sabbath.
· Exodus 16:4-5; 15-27; 31 - 4Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or no. 5And it shall come to pass that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
· 15And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna; for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. 16This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded. Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. 17And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 18And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 19And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. 20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. 21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. 22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. 25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 27 And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.
· 31And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna; and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
An omer is a dry measuring tool, equivalent to about 7.5 pints.
??? Why wasn't there manna on the 7th day?
God designated the 7th day the Sabbath, a day of rest.
· Exodus 16:28-29 - 28And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? 29See, for the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place on the seventh day. 30So the people rested on the seventh day.
Also, in the wilderness, God provides water.
· 3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? 4 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. 5 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?
God provides jobs - we need to go to work to earn money to buy what we need. Sometimes, God has others bring food when we are experiencing hard times.
God did provide food for Elijah to eat. This time He sent ravens to bring it to Elijah.
· Exodus 17:2-6 - 2And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, 3Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 4And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 5So, he went and did according unto the word of the Lord; for 6And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
Gifts for Service - We need to use the gifts God gives us.
· 1 Corinthian 12:31 - But covet earnestly the best gifts and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
· 1 Corinthian 14:1 - Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
God provides seeds, bugs, and worms for the birds, but they have to hunt for them. Have you ever seen a robin pull an earth worm out of the ground? It takes a bit of effort, but they do it!
Another name God has is Jehovah-Jireh, my provider.
· Genesis 22:14: And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of Jehovah it shall be provided. (ASV)
Thank you for reading! Make sure to thank God for all He provides!
God Bless!
Vicky Conklin-Johnson