The Israelites had been wandering in the wilderness when they complained of hunger. “At least in Egypt we had meat and grapes,” they wailed, forgetting it was at the cost of enslavement. Hearing their cry, God sent something new, something different, something unexpected. “And God …. fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know…” (Deut. 8:3) Here we see that, despite the complaints, God harkened to their pleas and sent manna. But notice: it was not what they expected. The actual word “manna” literally means, “What is it?” In their distress, they cried for meat…but they got manna. They were sent an unwanted blessing. But isn’t that how it goes, sometimes? We cry out to God and He responds to our cries, but not the way we expected … or wanted. It is confusing and sometimes, admittedly, disappointing. We get a used car instead of a Corvette, love instead of passion or maybe roast instead of cake. Does this negate the blessing? No! But it is in these moments where we must trust God’s hand. Note, also, it says they were sent a blessing that neither they nor their parents or grandparents knew. God is like that. Sometimes we’ll be praying for one thing and God sends another. And if we aren’t careful, we won’t see it for what it is: a blessing. //We see later that manna was actually the “bread of the angels, (sent) in abundance” (Psalm 78:25). So, while the people are confused, God is sending them not only something to meet their needs, but something HEAVENLY. IN ABUNDANCE. How many times have we ignored God’s blessing because it wasn’t what WE wanted? Or expected? Or knew? In times like these, let’s pray that God opens our eyes to the provisions He sends – even if they aren’t what we expect – and praise Him for what we don’t understand. We must always trust His heart when we do not understand His hand.
Sweet Mimosa 