Using what God Gives you
The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan. (Joshua 5:11-12 NIV)
For thirty nine years, God had supplied the people of Israel with every bite of food they put into their mouths. They had manna for breakfast, lunch and dinner -- manna burgers, manna pizza, manna chow mein, you name it! For all of that generation’s life, God had miraculously provided everything for them. He had been building their faith in Him. He wanted them to understand who He is and how powerful He is. But there comes a time for every baby to walk, for every child to step out on his own, for every young bird to leave the nest. The children of Israel were in the land of Canaan. They had crossed the Jordan. It was time to celebrate the Passover. This would be the first Passover celebrated in the Promised Land and only the third celebrated since they had left Egypt. And rather than a hurried celebration like the first one after which they would run for their lives, this Passover was joyous as the people reveled in the blessings God had given them.
But it brought about a major change. At this Passover, they ate some of the produce of Canaan -6x unleavened bread and roasted grain. And the manna stopped. No longer would God provide every meal for them in such a miraculous manner. Now they would have to grow their own food, tend their own crops and herds. Living suddenly returned to the status quo it had maintained since Adam and Eve got booted out of the garden.
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What do we learn from this? God can and does provide for His children in miraculous ways. But that doesn’t mean we’re all supposed to just sit down and wait for “manna” to drop out of heaven and feed, clothe and shelter us and our families. He also provides for us by giving us talents and capabilities and energy to provide for ourselves. Pray for the wisdom to discern what God wants you to do with your life, and for the energy and enthusiasm to do it.
From Newsong Ministries
thisdaysdevotional.org
Used with Permission.
