At a lunchtime Bible study at work, my friend touched on an important point. He said that yesterday’s revelation will not help us survive today. God reveals Himself to us anew each and every day of our lives, but in order to truly experience an adventure with Him, we need to reverence and hold sacred the time we spend in His presence.
In Exodus 16:18-20, we read of how the Lord provided the Israelites with manna from Heaven. You will notice that those who gathered more were not better off, and those who gathered less experienced no lack. God was trying to show them that He was their sufficiency in everything. Some of them kept the manna overnight, fearing that there would not be a fresh supply the following morning. To their dismay, it bred worms and had a foul stench. God was trying to show them that they could trust Him. In much the same way, we try to face today’s challenges with yesterday’s revelation.
Although there is nothing wrong with remembering what the Lord has brought you through in the past, it is essential that you do not remain stagnant. Every child of God needs to grow in the knowledge of his Father’s grace and experience His mercies that are new every morning. Oftentimes, we find ourselves trying to live a whole week on the blessings of last Sabbath! Just like an automobile needs fuel, we need the fuel of God’s Word to give us power during the week. We remember to replenish our physical bodies with food every day, but what about some “soul food”?
We somehow manage to get out of bed every morning and go to work because we know that we must work to survive. However, the truth of the matter is that without the breath of life that God gives you, and the power he gives you to earn wealth, you are nothing! (Deut 8:18)
When Jesus fed the five thousand with the loaves of bread, He was showing them not just His power to meet their physical needs, but also His body that would be broken for us so that He could establish the body of Christ. The bread symbolizes the Word of God of which Christ was the living representation. Though millions may eat of it everyday, there is always enough for everyone just as the baskets were not empty after feeding thousands of people. (Luke 9:12-17, Jn 1:1-14, Jn 6:58)
I have learned that there is no such thing as taking a Sabbatical from studying God’s Word. True rest is found only in the contemplative posture of discipleship. Satan will try to keep us as busy as possible because He knows that if he can distract us, he has won half the battle! The Apostle Paul writes that we should pray without ceasing; sometimes that’s easier said than done, but if we weigh our thoughts each day we will usually find that not much thought is given to the one who is sustaining us from one minute to the next. There are those who long to be with the people of God but cannot, because of circumstances beyond their control. Those who can, must meet to pray for them like the church did for Paul in prison.
"And Jesus answered him saying: It is written that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."- Luke 4:4
Scripture refs: Luke 4:4, Ex 16:18-20, Is 43:18-19, Lam 3:22-23
