My Jar full of manna.

I know, I know… it’s a pretty weird name for a blog. But here’s the story.

In Exodus 16:1-35, we read about how God provided food daily from heaven for the Israelites as they wandered in the desert after fleeing from Egypt. Bread, called manna, would just appear on the ground from out of nowhere every morning, except for on the Sabbath. The people were instructed to gather just what they needed for their family for that day; if they tried to gather extra and save it, it would be covered in maggots by the next morning. The day before the Sabbath they were instructed to collect enough for two days, and miraculously, it was preserved. The Lord was teaching them to rely on Him daily for their every need, trusting Him alone to provide. He didn’t always give them what they wanted (I mean, let’s be honest, 40 years is a LONG time… a little variety would have been nice), but He always provided what they needed. He wanted them to learn to turn to Him and trust Him to be enough when life was hard, so that even when it got a little easier, they would be in the habit of seeking Him and wouldn’t forget Him.

He also instructs them in verses 32-34 to take a jar, fill it with manna, and save it as a reminder of His faithfulness for generations to come. They did as they were commanded, and the jar full of manna was stored in the ark of the covenant alongside the tablets containing the ten commandments.

I remember reading this passage several years ago when our 4 children were much younger and life was absolutely exhausting. The concept of manna, or “daily bread,” resonated with my heart, as I was pretty much living day to day at that point. I was trusting God to be enough, because I was pouring out way more of myself than I really had to give. He was so faithful! Every day He provided new strength, new grace, new insights, new joy. But what really struck me was the verse about storing up manna in a jar as a reminder to future generations of his faithfulness. Perhaps I needed my own “future generation” before it could resonate with me, but it was as if God was whispering to me, “This is for you, my child. I want you to store up these daily blessings so you don’t forget, and so your children will know that I AM faithful!”

And the idea for this blog, JAR FULL OF MANNA, was born.

In this blog I will share my manna- all the ways God daily provides for our family. It may be a recipe, a funny story about my kids, some insight from His Word, or the random rambling of a stressed-out mama… likely, it will be all of the above. I have no idea if anyone will ever read what I write. While I hope that it may be an encouragement to others, especially other mamas collecting manna of their own, the intent of my heart is to simply keep a collection of God’s faithfulness to me so that I will remember, and my children and grandchildren will know of His goodness.

Welcome to my Jar full of Manna.