Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 16 before reading the devotional below.
Isn’t it interesting that the past and the future always look brighter than the present? Moses has now come full circle, back to the area near Mount Sinai where he saw that burning bush. The Israelites are complaining about him (one of the major downsides of all leadership positions…). They wish they could go back to slavery (which has been glamorized quite a bit at this point), or zip on ahead to the Promised Land. Yet they are here in the desert, and God isn’t about to leave Moses hanging now. The people need food, and food they shall receive.
My dad always says that “manna” was marshmallows. Given the lack of nutritional value this doesn’t seem accurate, but he has said it for so long now I genuinely can’t picture manna being anything else. All we know is that it tasted like “honey wafers” and they had no idea what it was. So maybe my dad is right after all.
Here’s your freedom for today: it is okay not to understand God’s provision. God’s ways are weird sometimes, and he comes up with ideas that are literally out of this world. When he gives you something good, whether it is a material provision or a positive change in circumstance, it’s okay not to know exactly how it all worked out. We know from James that every good and perfect gift comes from our Father who does not change. If you receive a blessing, go with it. Eat those heaven-marshmallows if that’s what God decides you need. (And for the record, Marshmallow Fluff is made right here in my city of Lynn, Massachusetts… the Spirit is at work!)