THE MANNA HIDDEN BY FAITH

Ever heard a song that you have not heard in a while and exclaimed - "Wow! That was great! I really missed that song. I have not heard that one in a while."? I usually proceed to play that song many times over. 

Have you ever met back up with a friend you have not seen in a while and said, "Man! I have really enjoyed hooking back up with you and spending this time together. I missed this." I have done this, not because of purposeful neglect, but life. I also find myself afterward trying to schedule more time with that person. 

And have you ever stayed away from a certain food by chance only to find out how much you miss it when you come upon it as an ingredient in a dish at a restaurant or such? I have and then I start craving that food regularly.

We, as Christians, need to be diligent about our quality time spent with The Lord. I am guilty of neglect in this area. For whatever reason, I will get distracted from meeting with The Lord - for a purposeful, meaningful, one-on-one time-frame. Then the next time I enter my office to meet with Him, I find myself literally shaking from the starvation of my spiritman. And I find myself saying something like - "Lord, being in your presence is wonderful again, but help me not to wait so long to have these times of refreshments and consultations. They are taxing on my spiritman."

The Lord provides help in the in-between times and I am eternally grateful. Jesus said to John in Revelation 2:17 - 

• "...To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna..."

While the definition of the word "overcomes" has a finality over its opponents about it, the tense of the word is continual. The first part of this verse could read - To him or her that will continually overcome or be victorious...

"It isn't acceptable to win a single battle but then lose the war because of a slack, unguarded attitude. Christ was calling on believers to continuously remain victorious. He was admonishing them, as He does each of His children up to the present day, to be permanently and consistently undeterred in their efforts to overcome and to obtain a lasting victory over sin in their lives." (p. 773, Sparkling Gems from the Greek 2, Renner)  

The second part of this equation is the promise that comes from being persistent in our overcoming, in our victorious living - "I [Christ] will give to eat of the hidden manna." The Manna is angel's food, it is literal bread and it is Christ Himself. The Manna is Provision from God, whether it be sustenance for the body, mind or spirit. "...for the children of Israel, this miracle was an everyday event that occurred for 40 years. In fact, an entire generation of young children was born during that time period who grew up thinking it was normal for 4,500 tons of manna to appear each morning out of thin air (see Exodus 16:35)!" (p. 776-777, Sparkling Gems from the Greek 2, Renner) But now, "we live by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7).

Russ Taff sang a song called - Table In The Wilderness. This analogy rings so true. However, Christ's Table can not only be found in our times of struggle, but also on a daily basis at a regular meal-time or meet-time schedule. "There is a divine supply of provision for us---a supernatural, heavenly touch---that will replenish and strengthen us, enabling us to overcome the most difficult circumstances. But we must continually draw near to His table and eat the heavenly 'bread' He has set before us [His presence and His Word]." (p.777, Sparkling Gems from the Greek 2, Renner) Today we may not see so plainly about things, but one day we shall see perfectly clear (1 Cor. 13:12). Until that day, we must continually persist in our overcoming, remembering and claiming the promise of provision in The Manna Hidden By Faith.