I have a confession: I don’t always want to have my quiet time. Sometimes I have lengthy seasons that are completely dry, and I would just as soon not open God’s Word. Nonetheless, I continue to have a quiet time when I don’t want to. Why? Isn’t that just hypocritical? If my heart isn’t in it, why bother?

Just as I sometimes don’t want to read my Bible, the Israelites came to a point where they were tired of manna, God’s sustaining provision in their lives. (If you missed the first two posts in this series on manna, you can find them here: Manna: What Is It? and Manna: What Does It Represent?)

Numbers 11:4-6

And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick; but now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.

The Israelites longed for something more satisfying, and they thought they could find it in their former pleasure in the land of Egypt. They failed to realize that God had provided them with everything they needed. God has provided us with what we need to fill our deepest hunger through His Word. When we don’t want to read God’s Word, there are three things we must remember.

RECOGNIZE WHERE THE PROBLEM LIES

The problem is never with God’s provision; the problem is with my heart attitude. Whether it is a result of sin in my life or a result of a season of discouragement, the reason for a lack of desire to read God’s Word is not that His Word is no longer satisfying. God’s Word will always be perfect, exactly what I need to satisfy my deepest longings. If I’m not satisfied, I am the problem. I may need to deal with the sin issue in my life or persevere through a season of discouragement, but I don’t ever want to neglect to read God’s Word. He will use it to help me to come through to the other side of whatever I’m facing.

REMEMBER THAT EVEN IF I DON’T WANT IT, I NEED IT

God’s Word is essential for my survival spiritually, just as food is essential for my survival physically. I wouldn’t go days without eating just because nothing sounds good. My survival instinct would kick in, and I would have to eat something. There’s no use skipping a spiritual meal just because it doesn’t sound appetizing. God’s Word will nourish our souls, even when we don’t realize it.

REST IN KNOWING THAT GOD KNOWS WHAT I NEED BETTER THAN I DO

As much as I strive for my appetites to be for spiritual things, there are times when I just want spiritual junk food. Nothing sinful, per se. I just want to scroll social media or read a fiction book for hours on end. I somehow feel like this will satisfy me. But God says differently.

Deuteronomy 8:3

And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.

Manna was meant to be a reminder that more than we need food to survive, we need the Word of God. I may think something else will satisfy me, but I must trust that God knows what I need. He has provided completely satisfying food for my soul through His Word.

What about you? What helps you stay consistent when you’re going through a dry season? Share with me in the comments! If you need help staying consistent, I would love to provide you with a tool to help. The Sixty Second Quiet Time is an easy way to consistently connect with God, even in the dry seasons. Leave your name and email address below, and I will send this guide to your inbox for free.

Last week on the blog, we talked about what manna was. (If you missed it, you can find the post here.) This week I want to share with you what the Lord has been teaching me about what manna represents in our lives.

Deuteronomy 8:3

And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.

Manna is a beautiful picture of God’s Word in our daily lives. More than we need physical food, we need God’s Word in our lives every day to sustain us. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He actually quoted from this passage of Scripture.

Matthew 4:4

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

If Jesus, being God, needed the Word of God to sustain Him, how much more do we need it? I want to share with you three parallels between manna and the Word of God in our lives. I pray that this picture will help you find satisfaction in the Word of God the way it has helped me.

IT’S THERE FOR THE GATHERING

When the children of Israel were given manna for the first time in answer to their prayers, Moses instructed them on what to do with it.

Exodus 16:16

This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.

The manna was there for the taking, but it wouldn’t do the Israelites any good if they didn’t take it! God’s Word is exactly the same. It’s there to nourish our souls, but if we don’t get up every day and actually read it, it won’t do us any good.

IT’S JUST ENOUGH FOR EACH DAY

Exodus 16:17-18

And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.

It doesn’t matter how much or how little we read of God’s Word every day; it will always be enough. On the days when we can sit and read chapters at a time, it will be enough. But on the days when we barely find time to read a few verses, it will still be enough. God’s Word is always enough.

WE CAN’T WORK AHEAD OR MAKE UP DAYS

Exodus 16:19-20

And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.

I love working ahead. In fact, I’m working ahead right now. This blog post won’t be published for nine more days, but I’m getting it ready now because I’ll be traveling before it’s published. But our quiet time doesn’t work like that. I can’t store up nine days worth of quiet time now so that I’m free to do other things later. I also can’t somehow make up for a missed day by reading extra the next day. God’s Word will always be exactly enough for the day that I’m in right now, no more and no less. It will always be exactly what I need.

I pray that these words will encourage you to gather the sustaining bread of God’s Word every day. He has so many wonderful things in store for you! I’ll be continuing this series on manna next Friday. If you don’t want to miss it, make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter by leaving your name and email address below. I’ll send a new devotional to your inbox every week, as well as a link to my latest blog post so you never miss a thing.

My toddler wakes up in the morning with one thing on her mind: toast. How do I know? It’s the first word out of her mouth the moment her feet hit the floor. She loves toast, and she wants it every single day. She loves toast so much, she can’t even wait for it to finish toasting. So, she eats half a piece of plain bread while the other half toasts.

There’s so much about my toddler’s vibrance and vigor for life that I admire. This may seem like a silly one, but physical hunger and the desire to fill it is such a natural part of life. Just ask the Israelites in the wilderness. They had one thing on their mind: food.

Exodus 16:2-3

And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: and the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

God had brought them out of the land of Egypt, but they weren’t too thrilled about it. What was the point of being free if they were going to starve to death? But they could have trusted the God who set them free to take care of their every need. He had no intention of letting them starve.

Exodus 16:4

Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

God heard the cries of his children for toast, and He was going to provide bread from heaven to meet their needs.

Exodus 16:14-15

And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.

Have you ever wondered where the name “manna” came from? It literally means, “What is it?” The Israelites had no clue what this white stuff on the ground was! It wasn’t snow in the desert; it was a miracle even greater. God had provided for their most basic need, even when they didn’t believe He would. I can trust that God will provide for my needs as well.

God wanted so much more than to meet their physical needs. He had a lesson to teach them, and He wanted to provide for their spiritual needs as well. I’ll be sharing more about manna on the blog next Friday. If you don’t want to miss it, make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter by leaving your name and email address below. I’ll send a fresh devotional to your inbox every week, as well as a link to my latest blog post so you never miss a thing. (You’ll also get my 60 Second Quiet Time in your inbox today, absolutely free!)

The options for devotional materials are endless, and I feel like I’ve tried almost everything. Devotional books, prayer journals, journaling prompts, gratitude journals, journaling Bibles, and just plain Bibles. Then there are the accessories. Accessories??? Pens, markers, highlighters, pencils, washi tape, and Post-it Notes. And should I drink coffee or tea? Who knew having a quiet time could be so complicated!

It’s easy to get bogged down in what you believe your quiet time should look like physically, but I recently had an encouraging conversation with a friend that challenged me in my thinking. If you’re overwhelmed with all the options, I want to share with you three essential elements of a quiet time to help you have a meaningful, daily time with the Lord.

FOCUS

Our quiet time isn’t just another thing for us to do; it’s about a Person who wants to spend time with us. What matters about our quiet time is spending time with God. A quiet time should begin with placing our focus on the Person we are spending time with. What if we sat down and asked God what He wanted our quiet time to look like? His answer for you may be different than His answer for me; it may even be different than what you expected it to be! Rather than holding yourself to an impossible standard of what you think your quiet time should look like, ask God to show you what He wants. I know this is a prayer He will answer! If our focus is in the right place, there are really only two other essential elements to a quiet time.

LISTEN

Relationships are built on listening. It seems obvious that if we want to build a relationship with God, we should listen to what He has to say. I’m so thankful He has preserved His perfect Word for us to read in the English language. We don’t have to wait for some miraculous revelation to hear from God; He’s already given us everything we need in the Bible. Although reading what men have written about God’s Word can be helpful, it’s important to first understand what God has said in His Word firsthand. I’m thankful for commentaries and Bible study tools, but they can never replace the Word of God. It is an essential element in a quiet time.

SPEAK

I’m a quiet person by nature. Unfortunately, this has kept me from making friends many times over the years. I’m happy to listen to someone talk all day long, but a relationship can never really be built unless I open myself up to that person as well. God already knows everything about us, but He still wants us to talk to Him in order to build a close relationship! My approach to quiet time has often been like my approach to friendship: I would much rather read what God has to say than say anything myself. But prayer is an essential element of quiet time. If you don’t know what to say to God, start by telling Him about your day. He’s always ready to listen.

If our focus is on God and we include some element of listening to Him through His Word and speaking to Him through prayer, the rest of what our quiet time looks like is between us and the Lord. The length of time or the number of chapters we read don’t matter. What matters is that we’re sensitive to what the Lord is leading us to do.