Bible verses: Exodus 16:4-26
Do you ever worry about tomorrow? Sometimes I do. As a child my family even called me “worry wart.” By God’s grace I have made progress in quitting the worrying, and this is one passage in the Bible which has helped me.
God had miraculously rescued Israel from the Egyptians, and in today’s reading we see His instructions in regard to collecting manna, the vanilla wafer-like food which would fall from heaven each day and be a staple of their wandering-in-the desert diet for the next 40 years.
God specifically instructed the people to collect only as much manna as they would need for that one day. There were some worriers in the crowd who just knew there wouldn’t be enough manna to collect tomorrow, so they picked up 2 days worth of manna in one day. And you know what? It got worms in it and smelled bad! It spoiled!
You see, it was a matter of trusting God. He promised to provide what they needed each day. (He did tell them to collect 2 days’ worth of manna on the day before the day of worship. When they obeyed Him in that command, the worms and the stink miraculously stayed away.)
So when tempted to worry about tomorrow, I am reminded to trust that God will provide what I need for each day. If I try to get tomorrow’s needs met today, it will be like collecting tomorrow’s manna – stinking and spoiled! Lord, help me concentrate on today’s needs.
- Marcia M.