Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Jane Denniston March 27, 2022 0 2

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Joshua 5: 9-12 (NRSVA)

9 The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.’ And so that place is called Gilgal to this day.

10 While the Israelites were encamped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. 11 On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12 The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

 

Love changes because people change. The love I have for my children is every bit as strong as it was when they were babies, but it’s no longer as protective now that they are adults. When they were babies, they were unable to provide for themselves, whereas now they can, and they don’t need me in the same way. The Israelites, wandering in the desert, depended on God in the same way a baby depends on its mother. They were incapable of providing for themselves in this situation and so God sent them manna from heaven. God provided what they needed, when they needed it. But when the time came for them to provide for themselves, and when they had the means to do that, God’s intervention changed. I wonder if, when they settled in the promised land and had to provide for themselves by their own graft and toil, the Israelites looked back with longing on the days in the wilderness when their daily bread fell from heaven?

Growing up and taking responsibility can be difficult. But although God had released the Israelites from immediate dependency, he had not ceased to love them, indeed he loved them more because he gave them independence. We know that the Israelites’ relationship with God was a troubled one, and they turned their backs on him on many occasions. Perhaps they mistook independence for autonomy and thought they no longer needed God.

PRAYER:

Loving heavenly Father,

thank you that you give us independence, free will,

and the ability to make decisions for ourselves.

Help us not to mistake this gift of freedom

for indifference on your part.

Help us to understand

that your love gives us what we need when we need it,

and that that changes

as we change and grow.

May we know and accept your love

in all the circumstances of life

and continue to walk with you

through all that life brings. Amen