Purple Manna

Walking through the yard one morning, I stopped to watch one of my frequent Hummingbird visitors eating nectar from my Ruellia plant.  The little bird had to be diligent in collecting nectar, as all blooms would fall off by the end of the day.  I was thinking how these blooms are a lot like the manna God provided for the Israelites.  The Ruellia is bursting with purple blooms each morning, but by the end of the day all blooms have fallen off.  No worries though, as God will provide more in the morning!

Exodus 16:4-5
      Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.  The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day.  In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.  On the sixth day, they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days”.

This serves as a reminder to me that just as God has provided for the daily needs of the Israelites and Hummingbirds, so too will He provide for mine.  There is work involved to receive His provisions.  And yes, many times there will be grumbling and complaining as we do not like what we are called to do, or the challenges we must face, in preparation for what God has in store.  Have you ever looked back to notice the lessons learned, information gained or connections made during a trying time in your life?  I believe these were no accident.   In fact, they were exactly what you needed in preparation for God’s plan for your life.  No matter how lost we become, or how many detours we take in life, we will always be given something from the experience that will help us to grow and give us the courage we need to keep moving forward---even if we slip and roll down the hill again.  Who knows, it might be on THAT hill, as we are climbing back up, we find the gold nugget needed to be prosperous in the plans laid out for us.

There have been many times in my life when God has provided exactly what was needed at just the right time.  Not my time, but His time!  At this, I paused to thank the Lord for His daily provisions in my life.  To be sure, there were times when it was a rough journey getting to that place.  There have been many times when I

look back at the skills or information learned, from a variety of random situations along the way, that I have truly been amazed at God’s guidance in my life.  And the connections!  People from such backgrounds that I would not have otherwise crossed their path.  I am only beginning to see now how everything has worked together to prepare me for where I need to be at this moment.  Who knows, the moment I am in now may be more preparation for what is yet to come.  We must learn to be patient and attentive as we wander through the wilderness of life, for there is a promised land at the end.  Be it this life or the next.