The Manna Stopped

March 5, 2013

Opening Hymns:
280 All Glory, Laud, and Honor http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh280.sht

Scripture Reading:
Joshua 5:9-12

⁹ Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal^[c] to this day.
¹⁰ On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. ¹¹ The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. ¹² 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 the produce of Canaan.

Message:
God provides us with everything we need… He had given the Israelites manna until they no longer needed it and were able to eat from the produce of Canaan. It can be hard to go from being handed the things we need to getting the things we need on our own. I wonder if that transition was hard from them, going from manna that came from the sky to produce that they had to harvest and clean and prepare for meals. I’m sure it added more variety to their diet, but it also created a lot more work for them.
It can be hard for teenagers and young adults when they have to adjust and start taking care of everything on their own. With any luck their parents slowly weaned them off… adding bit by bit more financial responsibility such as rent, phone bills, and car insurance. Piece by piece the manna is taken away.
God was still with the Israelites even after the manna ended. He is still there for us to call on when we need help and support. He still watches over us. Just as (hopefully) our parents are there for us years after we moved out. New challenges will arise as we grow and mature. Each challenge might seem a little bit more difficult than the last. However, God promises that he will not give us something that we cannot endure. Through prayer and faith and God we can make it through life without manna… when we reach the desert places in our life we may find a scattering of manna has rained down for us.

Time of Prayer
Dear Lord, please give us your manna when we are in the desert and cannot sustain ourselves… allow us to meet the challenges in our life one step at a time with Your loving hand guiding our way. With or without manna help us to learn and grow into people who walk in Your ways in the face of every challenge life throws at us. Amen.


The Lord’s Prayer


Closing Hymn
452 My Faith Looks Up to Thee http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh452.sht

May the Lord bless you and keep you: May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." Amen.

Go in peace, serve the Lord
Thanks be to God