"Time to make the donuts."

Exodus 16:14
And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground.

The people slept; God provided. While they were safe and warm in their tents at night, sleeping and dreaming, God was working. He was preparing them breakfast. Like the guy in the old Dunkin’ Donuts commercial, God was preparing a tasty treat for the people, one that would be ready to eat as soon as they woke up.

It’s interesting that God would choose to rain down His manna, His bread, at night. Even more interesting is that He would have it fall on the ground outside of the Israelites’ tents. Why not just supernaturally fill up the containers where they sat inside the tent? It was important to God that, while there was no work done by the people to make the bread or receive the bread, they would have to physically come out to gather the bread. In the dark of night, while they were resting, God was working to provide nourishment for them. He would set the bread outside of their doors, ready for collection. All they had to do was step out of their tents and there it was.

Inside their tents was a closed off little world. They found safety and security in the arms of their loved ones at night. They could find solace during the day. Perhaps they would go inside the tent to hide from the perils of life. Who knows? However you look at it, God wanted them to step out of their comfort zone in order to receive His blessings: in this case, bread!

Today, we have our own little tents that we live in. Sure, we have our houses, but what about our hearts and our minds? We have drugs, alcohol, anger, body image, guilt, regret, sexual sin, and so much more. All of these things, while deadly to our lives and our families, seem to bring us comfort. We feel secure in our addictions. But God wants us to come out to receive His blessings. Open the doors and step out of what we think is comfortable into the light, where He has laid out His Bread of Life for us to gather up. We can gather as much as we need. Daily, just like the Israelites, He provides for us the exact amount that we’ll need. All we have to do is collect it. No kneading dough, no hot ovens, just pick it up and eat it. When we go to get our daily Bread, it will never be too much or too little, always the right amount. (Exodus 16:17-18 “The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.” )

Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, was born at night. He came to earth while everyone else was sleeping. There was no work done by any one person in convincing God to come to earth. He chose to come while everyone was asleep (i.e., no work was being done) to illustrate that works are futile. In the dark of night, while the people were in their houses, Jesus was born. He was born in a stable, outside. For whatever reason, there was no room at the inn that night. The Bread of Life came down and was laid outside in a manger. When the world woke up the next morning they found that God had provided Bread from heaven that would give them eternal nourishment. His name is Jesus.