There are times when we want to see the manna fall from heaven in the form of food and money to pay for all our needs. My brother, my sister, now remember that shortly after they left Egypt, the Israelites were short of food, then they started complaining and losing faith in God (Exodus 16: 1- 3). Unfortunately, when we are faced with difficulties, we do like them, preferring to work very hard to provide our daily bread rather than turning in faith to God. Yet,Jesus commands His people (us) o seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then God will add to us all the things we worry about (Matthew 6: 25-33). God certainly wants us to work, but not to the point of collapse or worry.
Remember also that God provided the manna to the Israelites when they needed it: every morning they woke up and found it. Not knowing what it was, they asked, “What is it?” MANNA means “What is it?” It is therefore true to say that if you are still praying for God’s manna, it is because you have not yet received Christ truly. Yes, many people confess Jesus Christ with their mouths as quickly as some people marry today without knowing their partner, and then once they find that marriage is a lifelong commitment, they run away from it. But God’s Word will enlighten us to understand how God provides the manna for us today.
The Bible says: “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval” (John 6:27). Yet, that’s what we do… over and over and we become tired. Jesus recalls us that the manna is still provided by God today (John 6:31-35). It is because we are ignorant that we sometimes wish chicken wings, rice, pasta, fufu or money would drop from heaven as manna… the manna God sent from heaven was meant to feed His children. Didn’t Jesus ask us to pray daily: “Give us today our daily bread”? (Matthew 6:11). No doubt that Jesus was talking about both physical bread and needs. But, most of the time, He was talking about spiritual things and He taught us that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). In other words, we should understand that the Manna or “bread from heaven” is a type of Jesus Himself. He said “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35 and John 6:48). Let’s recall that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which means “house of bread” Interesting, isn’t it?
Now, how does God provide the manna to us today?
Firstly, it is through His Church, for the Church of God is the true “house of bread ‘, and Jesus is its Head. That is the reason why He blesses us in His house. That is the reason why we should not joke in His house… That is the reason why we receive from Him in His house… yes, bread is a good comparison to our Lord because He satisfies, gratifies and strengthens us spiritually just as bread does physically. Yet many believers are not satisfied because they continue to work at the wrong places or eat at the wrong table,: “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.” (Isaiah 55:2). You see, Jesus came on earth as the true bread from God that we should be gathering and eating day by day in His House, and the early Christians show us this example because they understood what they had to do to find favour of God and live well (Acts 2:42-47).
Secondly, today’s church has lost the essential as people come only to receive but are not ready to share what God has given them so that God would pour even more unto His people… My friends, the question today is not “have you become a church member?”, or “have you given to charities?” The question is: “have you made a personal faith commitment to Jesus Christ? Have you believed in Jesus to receive eternal life?” A true commitment comes with responsibilities… Do you know your responsibilities as a Christian? Let’s look at what the way the early Christians worshiped to learn from them, to return to the basics of Christianity and God will provide our churches with much more… and we will see lives transformed in our churches. Yes, God’s manna is there to transform our lives daily, to make us become a bit more like Christ every day (miracles are for non- believers, but transformed, converted lives are for believers). Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.