Daily Bread
For we walk by faith, not by sight. II Corinthians 5:7
As believers, what are we walking toward? When the rain seems to fall in never-ending sheets, when the wind seems to blow in relentless sweeps, when all seems broken & crumbles into useless heaps - what are we walking toward?
Life is hard but God gives us manifold gifts in between - fellowship, food, coffee, sunlight, books, Himself. Sometimes however, even amid those gifts, the dark cloud doesn’t leave. God doesn’t promise us believers an always-sunny life. In fact, He promises that in this world we will have tribulation (John 16:33). Life can be painful & disappointing at times. Admitting that doesn’t make you any less saved. It makes you a human with God-designed emotions. It gives you an opportunity to grow in your dependence on God, not the things of this world.
What are we walking toward? Eternity with the Lord. That is why we can declare the second part of Jesus’ words in John 16:33 - be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
The apostle Paul tells us that we walk by faith, not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7). We walk with confidence, knowing that we are walking toward an eternal presence with the Lord (II Corinthians 5:8). We have the assurance of the resurrection & the guarantee of the Holy Spirit. This is what we as believers are walking toward. Eternity with Him. Paul, who learned to be content in all circumstances & worshiped God while in chains, shows us that the hope of eternity with Jesus motivates us in our faith walk. When all else fails, we hold on to that.
Walking by faith implies action. To walk is to move, to take step after step in a determined direction. As believers, our steps are directed by God. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:6). And when our time on earth comes to an end, our collected steps will show a path that led toward heaven, an arc made possible through Christ alone. Knowing the end motivates us to walk & take action in the meantime. Yes, God can send a man or a job out of the sky & to your front doorstep because all things are possible with God. But, God is gracious to also equip us to be good stewards of our time, talents, resources, & location in history. Be active as you trust God to place just what you need in life at just the right time.
Walking by faith may entail walking in the wilderness. Between now & eternity, we must grapple with present realities. One of those realities is wilderness seasons. In the wilderness, you may encounter bitter water & harsh conditions. You may experience thirst & lack. You may come up against weariness & worry. Remember that not every shadow is a storm. Might the dimming be God’s cloud of protection covering you by day? Might the darkness provide a better view of His fire by night? In Exodus, God led the Israelites through the wilderness with a pillar of cloud by day & a pillar of fire by night. The wilderness preceded the Promised Land & the same can be true for us. As we follow God through the wilderness & every other season of our lives, He leads us all the way to eternity with Him, a Promised Land for all who believe.
God is so good that in the wilderness, He offers sustenance. Take some time & read Exodus 16. For forty years, the Lord God fed the children of Israel with manna from heaven. Day by day, morning by morning, He sent it. Everyone received according to their need, nothing more & nothing less. The Israelites were instructed to gather each day, six days per week with a double portion for the Sabbath. They ate & were sustained. Here we see the awesome, supernatural provision of God. We also see activity - the Israelites gathered. They collected that which God sent. The movement of faith.
Are you gathering what God is sending you? While you’re in your wilderness, seek God’s manna. Manna is your daily portion - your portion of peace, joy, hope, clarity, love, comfort, & more. Just like the Israelites’ manna in the wilderness, these things can be gathered up daily. Move in faith to claim what your spirit needs. Walk by faith. Manna involves a daily receiving. It provides daily sustenance to keep walking toward God’s promises for you.
Ultimately, manna is our Daily Bread - Jesus. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world…I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst (John 6:33-35). Jesus, who is Daily Bread, teaches us to pray for daily bread - the provision available day after day in Him. We each have deep needs that can only be fulfilled by Jesus Christ Himself. The physical provision represented by manna in the wilderness was made manifest as spiritual provision in the life, death, & resurrection of Christ. Like the law given in the Old Testament, physical bread was insufficient. Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life & provision made to save us from our sin. In Jesus, every need is met. His death saved us once & for all. From that finality, we can receive our portion of manna as we meet with Him every day, receiving from His abundance. Jesus born of Bethlehem - the House of Bread - is preparing an eternal place for us. He sustains us with the manna of His Spirit in the wilderness between now & eternity.
What are we walking toward? With confidence, we are walking toward heaven. We are sustained by manna, Jesus Christ our Daily Bread, until then. We travel through the wilderness equipped & fed as we depend on Jesus to fill every need. We rely on the Lord’s portion day by day. And we yield our spirits to the words of the apostle Paul: Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:11-13).