Manna in the Morning: Thoughts on Lent

“He humbled you, causing you to hunger, and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Deuteronomy 8:2

It was true for the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, and it’s true for us today: we must always begin with a humble, hungry heart.

We will not crave the Word if we are already full of things of the world. We will not know the sustaining power of the Spirit if we are self-sufficient, puffed up with pride at our lack of need.

It all starts here: bending low, begging God for bread morning by morning–the sustenance of His Word and Spirit. Turning towards Him and away from our own hands and the waving hands of the world, vying incessantly for our gaze and affection.

Daily dependence on God is vital to our spiritual survival. This is how God divides pride and self-promotion and all that erodes the interior of the soul out of us, delivering us into abundant life in Him (John 10:10). We want the provision now, want to get our hands on it so we can ration it ourselves and store it up and know the numbers we are working with. But God makes us wait–day by day dependence is how He disciplines us, and He designed this daily dispensing of manna to protect His people, to keep them from their own demise. He knows that if we don’t have to go back to him daily, we’ll stop coming at all. We are these wayward people who need to return to God day by day in desperation so that we don’t self-destruct.

God disciplines us not because He is harsh or mean but because He has our best in mind. He wants to protect us–His intentions are perfect, and He knows the perfect means by which to preserve us. “Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you” (Deuteronomy 8:5). He’s making us new and preparing us for the good things He has in store. We are being tested and tried and trained so that “in the end it might go well with [us]” (Deuteronomy 8:16).

Without God, we will rush to fill the void inside with whatever we can get our hands on. Without daily dependence, we are sunk–consuming quick fixes, whatever is convenient and appears desirable. God knows that what we need more than anything else is Him.

Lent lends us this opportunity to deny ourselves and make space for God to fill us, for God to be our true Source and Security instead of all the lesser loves we’ve learned to rely on. We attempt to satisfy ourselves in thousands of ways these days, grasping for all sorts of things in desperate, lonely moments–a phone, our favorite snack, a credit card (and the list goes on).

Lent will require discipline on our part as we fast food or something else entirely, stripping away worldly things so that we have the opportunity to experience hunger pangs in this consumer-driven culture that we find ourselves in. Denying ourselves will reveal the deepest places, highlighting the inclinations of our hearts and requiring us to wrestle with our desires and our defaults.

But don’t be deceived–this is not about legalism, but rather preparing our hearts to hear. This is not about rules or regulations, but rather about readying ourselves to receive from our King. Lent is less about exact times and measurements and more about facing the Truth: the state of your soul and the habits of your hands and your tendencies to rely on yourself instead of God.

It’s humbling to be hungry. To realize that you crave things that you shouldn’t, or that the self-control you thought you possessed is non-existent as you reach for your phone yet again, your fingers aching to swipe and your eyes hunting for blue light. It’s exposing and uncomfortable and difficult to be hungry, but maybe it’s exactly what we need.

It’s not too late to allow Lent to reshape us, to humble us and usher us back into the arms of our Good Shepherd. He’s been here all along, ready to give us what we need. We just need to reorient ourselves, coming to Him for manna each morning, the words of Jesus, “full of the Spirit and life” (John 6:63). As Moses puts it, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Deuteronomy 8:2).

It’s the upside down way of the Kingdom–discipline yields desire. Something happens when we decide to follow even when we don’t feel anything. God plows the soil of our souls, unearthing things we didn’t even know were there. And as desire comes forth, it yields desperation for Jesus and even delight in Him. We find that Jesus is more than enough and nothing in this world can satisfy like He does.

Lent is for a season. But the things that happen deep within could last far beyond, even for eternity.

There’s more good news: God honors humble, hungry people. Jesus declares in His Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:5-6). God provides for humble, hungry people. God prepares the way to the Promised Land for hungry, humble people (just look at Caleb and Joshua, who followed the Lord wholeheartedly (Numbers 32:12)).

As we begin the journey of Lent with humble, hungry hearts, I trust that He’ll carry us through and supply all that we need. As He said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” In weakness and waiting, morning by morning, God will give us manna for our souls–what we’ve really been searching for all along.