We Still Need Manna in the Wilderness

“But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at” Numbers 11: 6.

The Israelites in the wilderness wanted to see the provision, the fulfillment of the promise, the promise land. But instead, all they ever saw was manna.

To read this passage for context, click here.

The Promises of God- Manna in the Wilderness

Manna represents the word or promises of God. They were in the wilderness. The wilderness represents the period when you have a promise from God, but not the fulfillment.

In fact, in the wilderness, your experiences are a contradiction of God’s promises to us. This is what makes it a testing of our faith.

The Israelites were saying in effect, “we want to see the provision, the fulfillment of the promise, the promise land. But all we ever see is your promise”.

I’ve experienced this in my own life. As an adult, I grappled with complicated grief over the loss of my father as an infant. The Lord had promised to fill that gaping hole in my soul.

I yearned so much for the provision of the promise. But He always led me back to the promise, back to the manna.

Feed On the Manna

And the temptation was to say with the Israelites: “I never see anything but this manna!” I wanted the tangible, real life provision. But the Lord continually directed me to His promise, to have faith, to wait, and feed on the manna.

The Lord has now filled that hole in my heart. And he has replaced the pain with peace, and the grief with a sense of well-being.

How we respond to the manna He provides will determine whether or not we see the fulfillment, and the promise land.

The sad truth is because the Israelites complained about never seeing anything but manna, and weren’t content with it alone, that’s all they ever did end up seeing.

It became a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Lord wanted them to be content with Him alone. He is represented by the manna, the Word or promises of God.

But they never learned to be content with Him alone, they never got anything else either. For another post related to We Still Need Manna in the Wilderness, see I Will Send the Comforter.