John 6:32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
This passage of scripture teaches us that the real manna that matters is that which comes down from heaven each day, in the form of the Living and the written word of God. Christ is here described as being the Manna that God gives to the world, and the way in which we can access Him is through communion with God each day, through a study of His word, and also through prayerful meditation on the character and teachings of Christ. But in order for us to benefit from the partaking of the daily manna, it must be collected, eaten, and digested in the early hours of the morning, the time that it usually falls, just as it was in the days of old. Let's read:
Exodus 16:14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. 21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
A very important observation is made here by Moses when he states that the manna melted when the sun came up. As it pertains to the gathering of the spiritual Manna, the sun melting it will refer to the cares and toils of our daily lives which press upon us as the morning wears on, making it difficult for us to focus our attention an that which really matters. In the quiet hours of the early morning, when our minds are fresh and alert, is the best time to spend with our Creator. But when the hustle and bustle of life begins later on, and the children start crying for their food, and breakfast is being made, and the tinkling of dishes being washed is sounding in our ears, together with the sweet aroma of bagels and tea wafting on the air, it becomes extremely difficult to focus on Christ, and before we know it, the Manna has melted, and we enter upon our daily duties, void of any meaningful communion with God.
In order to avoid this confusion, and the haphazard way in which our devotions are often conducted, it will be necessary for us to go to bed earlier, so that we can be properly rested, thereby being enabled to give of our very best to the Master. God is not pleased when we seek Him only after we have gotten all of our secular work done, when we keel to pray and drop asleep on our knees in His presence. If the president of The United States were to pay us a visit, and we were to be found nodding off as he is speaking to us, he will obviously become greatly offended by the lack of proper preparation to commune with him. On a much grander scale is our time spent with God, during which our energies, focus, and zeal should be at their highest and most intense levels, for God deserves the very best and nothing less.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which shows us the example of Christ, and it is the will of God that we now follow where Jesus has led the way. Let's read:
Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!