“Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!”
~chorus of the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness”
Prayer:
God,
We thank you that you have big ears to hear us, eyes to watch over us, and loving hands to provide what we need. We give thanks that even when we forget to trust you, you are willing to show us again your love. Amen.
Scripture: Exodus 16:2-4; 9-15
Memory Verse:
“I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day….” ~ Exodus 16:4
Reflection:
The grumbling, oh the grumbling. I hate grumbling; it really gets on my nerves. A few months ago, my hubby chaperoned our 8-year-old daughter’s class trip to Washington D.C. As you know there is A LOT to see which means a lot of walking, so you can guess that there was A LOT of grumbling. The girls grumbled about everything: walking, being hungry, dying of thirst. You name it and one of them must have grumbled about it. That day they had a little taste of how the Israelites must have felt wandering in the wilderness.
The Israelites have just made it through the parted waters of the Red Sea and they are already tired and hungry. (They are completely clueless that they have 40 more years of this!) And so they begin to grumble against God. I’m so glad God is God because, honestly, when I hear grumbling it makes me not want to give in or listen to it. God’s ears are open (as is God’s heart) and God provides for all their (our) needs. God is faithful and the Israelites are witnesses to it each new morning, when thin flakes (manna) like frost cover the ground.
Questions:
What might it feel like to have no food?
Imagine you are one of the hungry and tired Israelites. What would you say to Moses? What would you say to God?
What was the expression on the Israelites’ faces when God “rained” food upon them? Can you make that face?
Activities:
1) Most of us are blessed to be able to choose from lots of different foods in our kitchen cabinets. After you read the story, look through your cabinets to find canned foods to share with others who are hungry.
2) Make Manna cookies to share.
Ingredients:
½ cup butter
½ tsp vanilla
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 c. flour
2 tsp. honey
Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and mix well. Add honey and vanilla. Add flour slowly. Drop by half teaspoon on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes.
~recipe found at www.cooks.com
Practicing Families 