Just Enough

But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.

Exodus 16:18

In Exodus 16, the Lord began to provide food for the Israelites. It came in the form of quail for dinner and a strange white, sweet substance for breakfast. This mysterious food was called “manna,” presumably getting its name from the Hebrew word man, which asked the question “What?”

Not only did manna appear miraculously. It also had the unusual ability to supply sufficient nutrition for people no matter the quantity they collected. With manna for food, the Israelites had “just enough.”

“Just enough.” That phrase aptly describes how we experience God, at least some of the time. To be sure, there are moments when the Lord pours out his grace upon us and we have much more than enough. Yet, often we find ourselves with “just enough” . . . just enough faith for today, just enough wisdom for the challenges of the moment, just enough clarity concerning God’s future for us that we can move forward in obedience.

But with “just enough,” we have to trust God for what we’ll need next. We can’t tuck away God’s grace in some safe place so that we can rely on the grace and not God. Rather, in our walk of faith, we need to trust him each and every day. God gives us just enough so that we are richly blessed, but not so much that we can live without him. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, we depend upon God each day for what we need for that very day. And, like the Israelites, we discover that God is faithful if we trust him.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: When have you received from the Lord “just enough” to keep you going but not so much that you could stop trusting him? Why do you think God wants us to trust him each day?

PRAYER: Gracious Lord, as I think about the wide scope of my life, I’m blown away by your grace to me. Indeed, you have showered me with blessings, and for this I give you thanks and praise.

But, in living each day, it seems that you often give me “just enough.” You supply everything I need, but not so much that I can stop trusting in you. Thank you, Lord, for helping me to stay in touch with you, to keep depending on you. May I live this way today, and each day of my life. Amen.