Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Based Upon Luke 11:3

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Food is necessary for sustaining human life. We usually eat a few times everyday in order to absorb the vital nutrients that are needed to maintain healthy lives. With proper nutrition, we are energized with clear perceptions and the ability to make right decisions in performance of our daily routines. This is the ideal. When we eat what is necessary to receive these benefits without taxing our system with inferior foods or excessive portions, we are elevated, and we are better able to understand God’s will for us. We must trust Him daily to provide our necessary food.

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Have you ever attempted to function on yesterday’s food? I do not mean leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner. I mean literally function on the energy you received from yesterday’s meals. Outside of a deliberate, well-planned fast, we cannot subsist from day- to-day on the previous day’s meals. We may become weak or irritable. We may experience headaches and dizziness as well. Yesterday’s food is generally not good enough for today.

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The Lord taught this to Israel, while they were in the wilderness. As they murmured because of their perception of the difficult journey out of Egypt, the Lord instructed Moses that He had heard their particular complaints concerning food. They accused the Lord of bringing them into the wilderness to die. They would rather have continued receiving food from the inferior fleshpots of Egypt. “Then 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.” (Exodus 16:4). Daily, the Lord provided a certain portion of heavenly bread for each person. They were in a situation where they had to trust Him implicitly since additional portions would have spoiled if they tried to subsist on them the following day. They were given their necessary portions everyday. Sabbath was special though. “And 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.” (Exodus 16:5). The Lord provided by means of miracle, a double portion on Friday, which would cover the Sabbath as well. All of this, the Lord did in order to test their fidelity and demonstrate His love.

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Such is the case with our spiritual food. We must trust the Lord to provide His word and faith for each day. God does not encourage us to neglect Bible study and prayer on any particular day with the idea that our experience on the previous day would sustain us. This is where many lose focus. The Lord has fresh meals prepared for those who trust Him enough to receive them daily. As in the wilderness journey, the Sabbath is special for us. The Lord provides a double portion of His hidden manna for additional blessing. We are able to rest and worship God on His holy seventh day. He is available to teach us on a level beyond even the daily experience. By worshipping Him as Creator, through Christian fellowship, and special devotional time, God miraculously enhances our lives in order to prepare us for the new week.

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It is a blessing to receive God’s word and blessings everyday. It is our privilege to exercise faith, knowing that He will never let us starve spiritually as long as we cooperate with Him. He will give us our daily bread and we will be sustained by faith until Jesus returns to take us into the heavenly Promised Land.--L. David Harris (www.davidwritesalot.com)