Today's Meditation
Read Exodus 16:9-15
9Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’“ 10And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 12“I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’“
13In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
The Israelites have now left Egypt, miraculously escaping from the pursuing Egyptian army. They are no longer in bondage, enslaved to build bricks. God has delivered them and freed them to find a new home, but they are not a happy people. They've complained ceaselessly and even wished that they were back in Egypt. Really? What a fickle people we are.
God tells Moses and Aaron that he has heard their complaints and God knows that they are in need of food. So, God tells them that he will provide for them both meat and bread. In the evening, a flock of quails descend upon the horde of Israel and they have meat to eat. In the morning, a flaky substance akin to bread known as manna, is left behind after the dew dries up.
This story from the Exodus from Egypt gives us a glimpse of the many blessings God provides us, even in the midst of our complaining. Corrie ten Boom and her family hid many Jews in their home during the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands. In her book The Hiding Place she writes, "I know that the experience of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work God will give us to do."
Whether we understand it now or even recognize it now, this is a time of blessing. A time to be used by God for the work God is preparing us to do. Set aside any complaints or any grumbling today and listen for the word of God for you. What is God preparing in your heart and in your life to witness, to do, to change?
A favorite: "Panis Angelicus or Bread of Heaven"
Performed by conductor André Rieu, soprano singer Mirusia, and the Johann Strauss Orchestra
Panis angelicus
Fit panis hominum
Dat panis coelicus
Figuris terminum
O res mirabilis
Manducat dominum
Pauper, pauper
Servus et humilis
Dat panis coelicus
Figuris terminum
O res mirabilis
Manducat dominum
Pauper, pauper
Servus et humilis
May the Bread of Angels
Become bread for mankind;
The Bread of Heaven puts
All foreshadowings to an end;
Oh, thing miraculous!
The body of the Lord will nourish
the poor, the poor,
the servile, and the humble.
Become bread for mankind;
The Bread of Heaven puts
All foreshadowings to an end;
Oh, thing miraculous!
The body of the Lord will nourish
the poor, the poor,
the servile, and the humble.
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