Bread from Heaven

Manna

Referred to by Moses as the "bread from heaven". In the Exodus story the children of Israel are blessed with ... well what exactly were they blessed with? Manna, interpreted "what is it?" (footnote Exo. 16: 15) a food product that they were unfamiliar with at first. Something that they had never experienced before. There are some simple parallels of this wonderful gift from up above to the daily Spiritual nourishment that our Father in Heaven wishes for us to partake of.
At first we may be unacquainted with the language of God, but with practice and time we will begin to understand his word and what it is.

The Israelites had to collect it daily (excepting the holy sabbath). As with a physical diet where gorging one day a week and fasting for six isn't a very effective strategy, neither is reading our scriptures three hours and skipping out for the rest of the week.

The manna was collected each morning, by noon it had burned off. If we wish to recieve of this daily spiritual nourishment (scriptures, prayer, etc.) our opportunity may be reoccuring but within a given day it is perishable. Lesson- make it a priority, get done first.

The Lord sent it all the days of their journey in the wilderness of sin. For 40 years they were fed a steady diet of the Love of God. Just like our journey here in our wilderness of sin (the world) the Lord will send us continual spiritual nourishment our entire life if we will get off our bumskie and go collect it. The Lord doesn't just pour it down their throat, nor does he make it terribly inaccessible. (right outside their tents)

Manna, this bread of heaven, this gift from God is round, white and sweet (Exo. 16:14,31) It is not unlike the fruit in Lehi's dream that represented the Love of God. A careful reading of the scriptures often links the Word of God with His Love. He gives us His words because He loves us and wants us to be spiritually filled.

It is good to think about the gospel and food on this beautiful fast Sunday.