Today's Reading:Exodus 16:2-21 or Isaiah 49:8-13

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 42:1-34, 38; Mark 12:1-12

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you.’” (Exodus 16:4)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

It was supposed to be great. They were no longer slaves. God had brought them out of Egypt with His mighty arm, ten plagues, and by dividing the waters of the Red Sea. They were on their way to a better life.

Except . . . they were out of food. It had been two and a half months since they left Egypt. Now suddenly the future didn’t look so good. Slavery in Egypt was bad, but at least they had food to eat. They wished they had never left. So they grumbled against Moses and Aaron, but they were really grumbling against the Lord.

But just as we heard yesterday, that Jesus knew how He would feed the 5,000 people, so here too, God knew how He would feed Israel. He wasn’t going to let His people starve. He wasn’t going to leave them on their own after bringing them out of Egypt! He knew. Even when, instead of trusting, they grumbled in doubt and unbelief. I am about to rain bread from heaven for you. Long before Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer to pray, give us this day our daily bread, God was doing just that. It’s what God does, just often in ways we don’t expect. When He rained down bread from heaven, the people looked at it and said, “What is it?” which in Hebrew is man hu? That’s why we call it manna.

You are no less valuable and important to God than the people of Israel. He made you His child when He brought you through the water of Baptism. And He will provide for you, too, and often in ways you don’t expect. Like a cross! There, God provides life through death and forgiveness through condemnation. The disciples didn’t understand that at the time, but would later. So when people looked at the cross and asked man hu? the disciples would say, your Savior!

Lent teaches us to fix our eyes on Jesus. That when life is tough and not turning out as we thought, we know that the one who gave His only-begotten Son for us will provide everything else we need as well. Even in man hu ways!

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord God, You have called Your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.