Hope, our daily bread

I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven.”

John 6:48-50 (RSV)

Manna from Heaven was sent by God to His people as they journeyed through the wilderness. King David called manna the bread of angels. (Psalm 78:25)

The book of Exodus describes it as a sweet, wafer that appeared on the ground every day and was gathered up early each morning, yet it was like nothing they had ever eaten. 

While it nourished and sustained them for the day, it could only be gathered up one day at a time. God didn’t intend for them to collect it in large quantities and then store it all up. When anyone did try to store the manna, it became worm infested and rotted the very next day. 

Hope is like manna, it has a short shelf life, and it needs to be received fresh each day. As soon as I find the hope to pray confidently about a problem or a situation, something happens a day or two later, which challenges me all over again. The hope I had yesterday could be shaken by a new affliction or trial today, but hope was always meant to be renewed daily. Just as manna had to be gathered daily, God intended for us to meet with Him daily and receive fresh new hope.

Jesus called Himself the bread of heaven, comparing Himself to living manna. Anyone who has ever experienced the presence of Jesus, has experienced His presence in a delicate, sweet and light way. He isn’t forceful, and never loud or abrasive. He doesn’t rattle hearts, He melts them. He tastes very much like manna; light, gentle, and sweet, yet incredibly nutritious to our soul. 

Jesus could have called Himself the King of kings, the Lion of Judah, a Great High Priest, or the just Judge, and it would all be true, but Jesus chose, instead, to call Himself a type of bread. Bread is a common, basic form of daily nourishment. 

Jesus does not want to be stored away until an urgent crisis arises. He longs for us to meet with Him each day to receive a fresh, new, daily portion of hope. The hope He gives us each day is more valuable than anything money can buy, which is why Jesus called Himself the bread of heaven. He wants us to draw our portion of daily nourishment from Him.

Hope sustains us through the most difficult of circumstances. It keeps our soul nourished, our faith grounded and our minds at peace. Instead of letting our worries over the past or future, cloud our mind, if we start the day with Jesus, who is the great I AM, we can live in the present, and be filled with the hope we need for today.

It’s difficult to live one day at a time, but when we think of Him as our living daily Manna from heaven, we know He is ready and willing to sustain us one day at a time.

Heavenly Father, nourish us each day on this journey through the wilderness of our lives. Give us our daily bread of hope as we start each new day, believing that all things are possible with you. Amen

IMG_1826.jpeg

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.