Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Scriptures of Provision ~ Are You A Gatherer?

The sun rose with its morning glory. Reflections of pure light glistened in the dew drops resting heavy on rocky soil. The children of God stirred within their tents. I can see them rubbing their eyes, stretching their bodies, stiff from sleep. Stomachs growled with hunger. Some heard the call of the Spirit. Others murmured and complained as they faced another day in their dreadful wilderness.

"And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, 'What is it?' For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, 'This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat'" ~ Exodus 16:14,15.

And herein begins a beautiful lesson in great love, obedience, mercy, and grace.

You see, God met the needs of His people in the wilderness with His provision of life-sustaining manna. But, in order to sustain life, the children of God had to GATHER their food every morning. If they chose to stay in their tents out of rebellion or naivete', starvation would occur. The manna had to be gathered daily - it could not be stored up for a rainy day. The manna provided was proportionate to everyone's need.

Bread from heaven.
New every morning.
Gathered daily in measurements proportionate to need.

Out of all the promises God has made to His children, two stand out in light of His lesson of the manna. First, Lamentations 3:22-24, "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him!'" Second is 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness..."

God, El Shaddai - the All Sufficient One, life-sustainer - provided fresh manna every morning for His children. Daily. Faithfully.

El Shaddai -our All Sufficient One, life-sustainer - provides us mercy every morning so that we are not consumed. Daily. Faithfully.

God, Jehovah-jireh - the provider - sent bread from heaven every morning that was sufficient and proportionate to each of His children's needs. Daily. Faithfully.

Jehovah-jireh - our provider - sent to us His Son Jesus, the Bread From Heaven - through which sufficient grace, proportionate to our need, is given. Daily. Faithfully.

But.

If we choose to stay in our "tents" and not gather from God's provision each morning, His grace and mercy needed for our spirit's survival will lay there waiting. The Lord has promised us a sufficient amount of grace. Daily. Faithfully.

But we must gather it. We must pick up His Word and eat of His bread from heaven.

Daily.



Father God, Teach us to gather. Stir up a hunger and thirst within us that only You can satisfy. Draw us to You, woo us by Your love. Thank You for Your mercy that is new every morning. O Lord, how many times I would have been consumed had it not been for Your mercy and grace. You are an amazing God. I love You so much. Bless You Lord. You alone are worthy of our praise.
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Join with me as we pray for our brothers and sisters in Oklahoma. I'm asking the Lord to reveal His Presence there in powerful ways that many will testify of His great love and comfort.
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If you received Morning Glory via email, please visit the Morning Glory  page. I'm featuring a young girl named Rhema. She is 7 years old and sings "Amazing Grace" like nobody's business! You will be so blessed. Please don't miss this opportunity to be reminded of God's great love. "And the children shall lead them...."

4 comments :

  1. Wow. I totally get and can relate to this. Thank you for posting. God's provision is sufficient for the here and now. He already has tomorrow covered so why is it we ponder and worry? I know I do and I need to rely on His provision, His word daily. Loved Loved Loved the song also. One again, you nailed it, my friend. I love you.

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  2. Thank you little Rose. This is a HUGE lesson for all of us. I'm so thankful we have a Father willing to teach us. Love you!

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  3. Beautiful message and beautiful video. What a voice He has given that little girl. I pray she continues to use it to serve the One True God.

    You are such a blessing to me, Nan.

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  4. And you to me, Vonda. Sweet blessings to you!

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