Manna for Today

“But I have food! I have food!!” the starving man cried. His fate had been sealed. Tears sprang to my eyes as I watched. While the man’s story was not meant to be a parable, I couldn’t help but relate to his struggle.

My husband and I started watching the show Alone at the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown. Allowed only a few essentials, contestants work to survive by themselves in the wilderness, hoping to outlast their competitors. The scenery was what first attracted us, but we found a kinship with the contestants when the governor issued safer-at-home order for our state.

Each season’s winner receives prize money that promises to alter the course of his or her life. The rest take home a greater understanding of their limits and a few life lessons. Winter in the wilderness limits food supply sources, so one contestant decided to store up fish as he caught them. Rather than eating them straightaway, he planned to save up for a time when the harsh weather made catching them more difficult. He reasoned that this approach would help him outlast the other contestants.

He inventoried his supply and decided to eat half of one fish filet every other day. The caption at the bottom of the screen explained that this meant he was consuming 300 calories every three days. For reference, the FDA’s nutrition guidelines are based on a 2,000 calories-per-day diet.

As the show progressed, the contestant grew visibly thinner. The warm layers he wore to protect against the elements could not hide his diminishing frame. When the medical team arrived to do a routine evaluation, he lifted his shirt to reveal his emaciated back. In danger of doing irreparable harm to his body, the medical check resulted in him being pulled from the competition.

“But I have food! I have food!” he cried out in desperation. My heart broke, not for the contestant or the end of his journey, but for the parts of myself I saw in him. He had a strategy, a kind of savings account. Starving to death while hoarding fish, he could not understand that his careful plans had failed him.

Does his story sound familiar?

Then He told them a parable: “A rich man’s land was very productive. He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have anywhere to store my crops? I will do this,’ he said. ‘I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.” “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’ (Luke 12:16-20 HCSB)

We’re told to ask for our provisions daily in the prayer Jesus modeled for the disciples: “Give us this day our daily bread.” With a grocery store five minutes from my house and a stocked pantry shelf, I typically am not concerned with where my next meal will come from. Most people in my circles shop weekly or monthly for their food, rather than seeking it out daily.

Yet we know that’s not the case for all our neighbors. In my county’s school system, nearly half the children receive free and reduced-cost meals based on their family’s income. When the schools switched to remote learning in 2020, officials had to address concerns about the children left without the breakfasts and lunches they counted on. Administrators arranged food pick-ups at the schools and even utilized school buses and their drivers for delivery to rural areas. The children received their daily bread.

The Israelites received their food from heaven but were told to collect only enough for that day. Given the state of my pantry, I would probably have been among those who tried to collect a bit of extra for tomorrow.

I have a feeling I’m not alone. In the spring of 2020, as the first wave of COVID-19 hit the United States, toilet paper shortages began. People began stockpiling paper products and canned food when faced with the unknown of tomorrow. We quickly learned that no amount of storing up money can help when faced with bare store shelves.

Give us this day our daily bread…

Food, shelter, clothing, and transportation we may have in abundance, but still, Jesus instructs us to petition God for them. Without peace, security, and affirmation, we cannot live the abundant life to which we are called. When we seek these anywhere but from our heavenly Father, they are sure to spoil.

Father, we bow before you today, acknowledging our need. May we not starve while surrounded by the earthly treasures we have collected. Provide for us today the Bread of Life, the Living Water for whom we hunger and thirst. We also ask for the physical provisions we need in order to love and serve you today. Amen.

Brooke Justus Fradd celebrates the small wins in life while always being on the lookout for the next great adventure she can share with her husband, Jay. On her blog, Awkwardly Graceful, she shares the moments in life she hopes will become treasured memories.

Photograph © Mae Mu, used with permission