I live in a desert. It’s harsh, dry, and unforgiving. Anything I try to grow here will be scorched in the sun without a lot of extra water and shade. And even then, the summer heat is too brutal for anything but native creosote bushes.

So I can relate to the Bible story of the Israelites wandering in their desert wilderness. I can understand their panic the first time they found themselves a long way from any kind of oasis. Their hunger and thirst deepened as their provisions dried up, and the sun grew higher in the sky. Desperation set in. They cried out for water and food.

God heard them and provided for them in a plentiful way. They managed to live full lives for forty years in that desolate place.

But the interesting thing is that God only provided enough food for one day at a time. He gave them the miracle of manna. It appeared on the ground every morning and apparently had all the nutrition they needed. But it couldn’t be stored, hoarded, cured, dried, or canned. It lasted for one day (two on the weekend.) After that, it spoiled.

Why did God do that?

Did God want His people to go to bed every night worried about whether there would be any food the next day?

Maybe at first they experienced that anxiety. But over time, they grew to trust God’s provision. Decades went by, and they came to rely on manna the same way they relied on dawn. They learned to be confident in God. That was the lesson God wanted them to learn when He sent them to that wilderness in the first place.

“Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭25,‬ ‭CSB)‬‬

God is the same today as He was during those days of the Israelites’ wilderness experience. He is just as loving, generous, and faithful. But He requires obedience and reliance on Him to receive His miraculous provision.

When I have been following God but still find myself in a desperate situation, the right thing to do is to cry out to God, like the Israelites did. God promises to hear me and provide exactly what I need right now. No more. No less. And He expects me to keep coming back to Him for my next helping.

Dear God, thank you for providing everything that I need when I am obedient to you. Thank you also for wanting to be part of my daily life. Forgive me for the times I want to control things so I don’t need to rely on you. Forgive me also for worrying. Teach me to trust you completely today.