Day 17 - 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2026

Day 17: The Test of Manna

In Exodus 16, we find the Israelites in the "In-Between." They were no longer slaves in Egypt, but they were not yet homeowners in Canaan. In this wilderness of uncertainty, God responded to their hunger with a miracle: manna.

The Blessing and the Test
God did not merely dump a lifetime supply of food at their feet. Instead, He rained down daily bread, but the blessing came with a specific condition. As God told Moses, "In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions" (Exodus 16:4). The manna was a gift, but the timing of the manna was a test of the heart.

The Failure of Hoarding
The instruction was simple: gather only what you need for the day. However, fear is a powerful motivator. Some Israelites, unable to trust that God would show up again tomorrow, attempted to hoard the manna. They wanted to control their future supply rather than rely on the Provider. The result? The hoarded bread bred maggots and began to smell (Exodus 16:20).

When we try to secure our own future through "hoarding"—whether that is through anxiety, greed, or refusing to be generous—we find that the things we grasp too tightly eventually spoil.

The Miracle of Rest
The test shifted on the sixth day. They were told to gather twice as much because the seventh day was a Holy Sabbath. On this day, the rules changed: the manna didn't spoil, and none fell from the sky.

Yet, even after seeing God’s faithfulness, some people still went out on the Sabbath to work (Exodus 16:27). This revealed a second layer of distrust. They didn't trust God to provide through their effort on the weekdays, and they didn't trust Him to provide through their rest on the Sabbath. By going out to gather on the day of rest, they were essentially saying that God’s "new and different" way of providing—provision through cessation—wasn't enough.

Practical Application
The test for the Israelites is the same test for us today: Do we trust God’s provision enough to obey His boundaries?

1. Trust Him in the Work: Obedience means taking what we need for today and trusting Him for tomorrow. Don't let anxiety turn your daily bread into a "spoiled" hoard of worry. Do what you can do and leave the rest to what God can do!
2. Trust Him in the Rest: Rest is an act of faith. When we pause on the Sabbath, we declare that it is God who sustains us, not our constant labor. 

Whether you are working hard or intentionally resting, the goal is the same: stay within the word of God. Today, ask yourself: Am I hoarding out of fear, or am I resting in His promise? Both work and rest are holy when they are done in obedience to the Provider.

Tomorrow we will see what God can do when we live a life of faithful obedience! Specifically through our tithes!

Father, help me to trust you in my work and in my rest. I look to you for everything I need! You are my provider! Jesus, you are the bread of life! Send you Spirit to breathe life into me. Help me to have more faith in your daily provision! Amen!