Episode 10
Day by Day the Manna Fell by Josiah Conder
Did you know that God's provision comes daily? Not weekly, monthly, or yearly--He emphasizes giving us what we need today. We can trust Him then for the right now and leave the worries of our futures in His hands.
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Timestamps
- [00:00] - Intro
- [00:32] - Historical Context
- [01:28] - Two Heroes
- [01:59] - v1: God provides daily bread.
- [04:59] - v2: There's no fear in love.
- [06:42] - v3: Adopt God's wisdom and purpose.
- [09:40] - v4: Yield to the Father's will.
- [11:03] - v5: Cast away anxiety.
- [13:44] - v6: Submit in prayer and thanksgiving.
- [15:09] - Jesus: The Bread of Life
- [15:48] - Learn to Rest in Christ
Song Lyrics
Day by day the manna fell; O to learn this lesson well! Still by constant mercy fed, Give me Lord, my daily bread.
“Day by day,” the promise reads, Daily strength for daily needs; Cast foreboding fears away; Take the manna of today.
Lord! my times are in Thy hand; All my sanguine hopes have planned, To Thy wisdom I resign, And would make Thy purpose mine.
Thou my daily task shalt give; Day by day to Thee I live; So shall added years fulfill, Not my own, my Father’s will.
Fond ambition, whisper not; Happy is my humble lot. Anxious, busy cares away; I’m provided for today.
Oh, to live exempt from care By the energy of prayer: Strong in faith, with mind subdued, Yet elate with gratitude!
Scripture References
Deuteronomy 8:2-5 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. 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 wordthat proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. 4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. 5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.
Psalms 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Psalms 119:64 The earth, O LORD, is full of thy mercy: teach me thy statutes.
Psalms 145:8-9 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
Lamentations 3:21-23 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Luke 11:1-4 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Matthew 6:9-15 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
1 John 4:16-18 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
1 Corinthians 2:1-14 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching wasnot with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
James 3:13-18 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is,there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, andeasy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
2 Timothy 1:7-12 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: 11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Luke 22:39-44 And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. 40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
1 Peter 5:5-7 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Matthew 6:25-34 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day isthe evil thereof.
Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 4:9-11 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Psalms 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Psalm 23:4 I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.
Research Resources
Then Sings My Soul vol 3 by Robert J. Morgan (p93)
A Song in My Heart by Robert J. Morgan (September 17)
The Cyber Hymnal (accessed July 3, 2024)
Transcript
Do you struggle with worrying about the future? Anxious about what lies around the next bend in your life. In this episode, I hope to encourage you that God provides for you for today, and simply asks you to leave tomorrow in his Almighty capable hands.
Gregory:Not to be confused with day by day by Karolina Sandell-berg, which we will get to eventually, the song we're looking at today was written by Josiah Conder and is themed off of the manna that God provided the nation of Israel as they journeyed across the wilderness. Conder was blinded in one eye after receiving a smallpox vaccine at five years old, but experimental electric shocks managed to spare his other eye. At 21 years old, he took over his father's bookshop, but eventually he forsook it to focus on writing and preaching with over 60 written hymns to his name. His son described his songs as transcripts of personal experience and proofs so often given that God tunes the heart by trial and sorrow, not only to patience but to praise.
Gregory:God does use trial and sorrow in our lives, and it is not only to teach us to be virtuous but also to be a people of praise.
Gregory:I have two heroes that I look to who lived out the truths of this hymn: George Mueller and Hudson Taylor. My desire for myself is to model my life after these men. And this song puts into words some of the most key concepts for how to do so. I hope you'll listen carefully not just to hear something interesting today, but so that you can apply these truths to your life and better depend on God.
Gregory:Verse one emphasizes that God provides daily bread. "Day by day, the manna fell. O to learn this lesson well! Still by constant mercy fed. Give me Lord, my daily bread."
Gregory:If you're familiar with how God worked in the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, as they were traveling and wandering through the wilderness, he miraculously provided manna, this bread that was sufficient for their physical needs. But they could only collect as much as they could eat for a day. If they collected more off the ground than they could eat in a day, it would end up rotting and stink can have worms in it. God's system was set up in such a way that they had to rely on him daily. And he wants us to do the same today.
Gregory:The purpose of this was to teach them not just about physical needs, but to rely on his word each and every day. " Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live."
Gregory:I love how the song says still by constant mercy fed. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works."
Gregory:The Bible says, "This I recall to mind, therefore, have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not, they are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness."
Gregory:In his time on this earth, Jesus had been praying, and when he stopped, one of the disciples says, "Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples." And so Jesus gives them this example format to follow for a prayer, not necessarily to quote this prayer and this be the only thing that you ever pray, but to give them some of the things that are important to express in prayer. One of those things he says is "give us day by day, our daily bread."
Gregory:See if we had our way, God would give us everything today that would be sufficient for us for the rest of our lives. But he doesn't work that way, and his way is in fact better. Because if we had everything that we needed for the rest of our lives today, it would be far too easy for us to stop relying on him. Whereas if he only gives us each day what we need for that day, it actually helps us to continue to rely on him and to draw closer to him which is best for us and what he wants to enjoy with us.
Gregory:Verse two reminds us that there is no fear in love. "'Day by day,' the promise reads. Daily strength for daily needs. Cast foreboding fears away. Take the manna of today."
Gregory:The Bible teaches us that "there is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear." There is a right way and a wrong way to fear God. If you are constantly cowering before him as if he's an angry Zeus, you have misunderstood his character. He is love itself and he does not wait around hoping to cast lightening at you today because you made a simple mistake. On the other hand though, he should be feared in our recognizing that he is the perfect holy judge. If we sin willfully without any hesitation, it is because we do not fear his judgments as we ought to. Do you see the balance? Your relationship with God is at it's best when you have both. Godly fear repels you from sin. And godly love draws you to obedience. In other words, your primary operating foundation ought to be a constant love for God. But proper fear should still kick in when your flesh is contemplating sin, and that will keep you from breaking His Word.
Gregory:We do not fear him as if he is unjust or as if he will fly off the handle, but we should fear him knowing that his will is perfect .
Gregory:Verse three challenges us to adopt God's wisdom and purpose in place of our own. "Lord my times are in thy hand; all my sanguine hopes have planned, to thy wisdom I resign and would make thy purpose mine."
Gregory:As Paul is writing to the church at Corinth, he emphasizes repeatedly that he "came not with the excellency of speech or of wisdom.... my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom.... we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world that come to nought, but we speak the wisdom of God.... we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth.
Gregory:You see, he's drawing a contrast here. There's two kinds of wisdom. There's man's wisdom, which is actually foolishness, and there's God's wisdom, which is founded on truth.
Gregory:James discussed the same type of idea. He talks about a wisdom that is "earthly, sensual and devilish," And then he talks about the wisdom that is from above. Which is "first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy."
Gregory:Likewise, you can try to invent your own purpose for yourself, or you can adopt the purpose for which God made you. For "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me has prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, according to the power of God who hath saved us and called us with an a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."
Gregory:God has purpose to offer you. He has wisdom to offer you. And as we talked about in last episode, it's a trade. Do not think that adopting God's way of life is some great sacrifice. We can call it a sacrifice, but truly with the way that we use the word, it's actually an upgrade.
Gregory:In the biography about Hudson Taylor entitled Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret, the authors describe how he "came to see that giving up is inevitably receiving when one is dealing heart to heart with God." It goes on to say "the sacrifice was great, but the reward far greater." Yes. In some sense, you are giving things up, but it's really only to free up space so you can receive what God has for you.
Gregory:Verse four reminds us that it is best for us to yield to the father's will. "Thou my daily task shalt give day-by-day to Thee, I live. So shall added years fulfill, not my own, my father's will."
Gregory:Even Jesus in the garden before he was taken to be crucified, as he was praying to God the father says what he wants and then adds "nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done." Oh, how much good it would do us to realize that God wants us to bring our requests to him and if we would in our hearts prioritize his will, we would enjoy a such a closer relationship and a better life because of it.
Gregory:Again, regarding Hudson Taylor, the book says, " he was learning to think of God as the one great circumstance of life and of all lesser external circumstances as necessarily the kindest, wisest, best because either ordered or permitted by him."
Gregory:When you surrender to God's will, life will not necessarily go the way that you expected it to. But you'll realize that the changes from your plan were best because they came from your loving heavenly Father.
Gregory:Verse five challenges us to cast away our anxieties. "Fond ambition, whisper not. Happy is my humble lot. Anxious busy cares away. I'm provided for today."
Gregory:Paul wrote to the Philippians, "I have learned in whatsoever state I am in therewith, to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound."
Gregory:Let me be clear about something. God is not suggesting that you pretend that the circumstances around you are always happy ones. It simply means that you rest in God's goodness even when the circumstances are bad. There is a time for grieving. There is a legitimacy oftentimes in life of recognizing that the circumstances we live in are terrible or tragic or painful. God is not asking you to sweep those things under the rug. He's asking you to be content in him in spite of the unideal circumstances that you live in.
Gregory:Likewise God says "humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him for, he careth for you."
Gregory:Again, he's not asking you to pretend like you don't have any troubles or cares in your life. He's just asking you to bring those to him.
Gregory:Jesus clearly taught the disciples, "take no thought for your life." And gives the example of the fowls of the air. They don't do any farming, but God still feeds them. And he gives the example of the lilies of the field. They don't have to sew their own clothes, but God clothes them. And Jesus goes on to say, "shall he not much more clothe you, oh ye of little faith? Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."
Gregory:Again, God wants us to rely on him daily. The worries of tomorrow can be resolved tomorrow, so we shouldn't worry about them today. I'm not advocating for a foolish lifestyle where we do whatever we want to and leave it up to God to fix the pits we've gotten ourself into. That's not the point at all. The point is that he loves us and he takes care of us and he is the provider and he does so day by day, so we ought to trust him day by day.
Gregory:Verse six reminds us of the joy of submitting to God in prayer and thanksgiving. "Oh, to live exempt from care by the energy of prayer. Strong in faith with mind subdued, yet elate with gratitude."
Gregory:I can't help, but think of the Scripture, "be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Sometimes in situations that you find yourself in it won't make sense to have peace, but he gives that peace anyway. And we're to go to him in prayer and thankfulness.
Gregory:Strong in faith with mind subdued. George Mueller said, "I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will have its own in regard to a given matter. Nine tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord's will, whatever it may be."
Gregory:If we go to God in prayer and truly are seeking his will above ours, we get to experience the joy that he gives because of who he is.
Gregory:Before you look to God for daily bread to meet your physical and emotional needs, you ought to receive him as the true bread of life to meet your primary spiritual need. Jesus Christ is the only satisfaction for our souls and our best relationship with him begins when we trust him as Savior. Why would you trust him to care for you in this life if you have not yet trusted him for the life that is to come? Go to him with your need and allow him to cleanse you of your sin to reconcile and bring you to himself.
Gregory:Perhaps most of my listening audience is on the other side of the spectrum. You've put your faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. But for some reason, you struggle to count him faithful, to take care of you day by day for this life. Would you learn to rest in him? To trust that he is willing and able to provide? To realize that if you have kept your heart right with him and asked for something in faith, that the only reason he doesn't give it to you is because he lovingly has a better plan? Let us not be as the Hebrews who entered not into God's rest because of unbelief .
Gregory:No, this hymn is all about God's daily provision. And it challenges us to rely on him every single day. Memorize it. Internalize it. Let its truths become those which you not only know by head, but that you live by heart. Can I tell you this by personal experience? God always takes care of his children.
Gregory:David said, "I have been young and now am old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread."
Gregory:Bring your worries and cares to God and leave them there. Bring your stresses and doubts. Trust him in the midst of the pain of your life. And you will learn yourself to say, "I will fear no evil for thou art with me."
Gregory:I'm not promising that God will make your circumstances comfortable. I'm not promising that he will calm the storm. It may well be that instead he comforts and calms you, his child. And he does so with his daily provisions of mercy and grace and love. Rest my friend in the wonders of our God. He is all sufficient. And if you will go to him, not just once, but day by day. You will find that he is the only one who can and will meet your every need.
