How to Process Manna
HOW TO PROCESS AND COOK MANNA, THE HIDDEN BREAD
As a scribe, I hear, see and record the Words of the Lord at night. Often in the morning, I ask, “What was THAT?” Those who receive from the Lord by way of visions, dreams, His still small voice, and other rhema go through a similar process. They are blessed to hear from the Lord, but then ask the question, “What IS it?” “What does it mean? How do I apply this?”
Manna — the hidden food of heaven. What IS it?
“But he commanded the skies to open — he opened the doors of heaven — and rained down manna for them to eat. He gave them bread from heaven. They ate the food of angels! God gave them all they could hold.” (Ps 78:23-25 NLT)
This is manna! The very nature of this strange bread is found in its name. The first time it is recorded is after the Israelites had left Egypt to take the journey to their promised land:
“The next morning the desert all around the camp was wet with dew. When the dew disappeared later in the morning, thin flakes, white like frost, covered the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked. And Moses told them, “It is the food the LORD has given you.” (Ex 16:15 NLT)
In the King James, this same verse says: “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.” (Ex 16:15 KJV)
The word manna in the Hebrew literally meant “a whatness” so called from the question about it. (#4478 Strongs.) It comes from a Hebrew word (#4100) meaning: interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which).
I laugh when I read those questions! Those questions are the very nature of manna! That is exactly what we go through in receiving the Words of the Lord. Notice what the New Testament promises about manna: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat…” (Rev 2:17 NKJ) This is a promise that as we overcome, we will be given some of the hidden manna of heaven to eat.
In this verse, the Greek word ‘hidden’ (#2928) means to conceal. It is translated hidden, to keep secret. The Greek word manna (#3131) comes from the SAME Hebrew word manna recorded above. This is the SAME word recorded in the New Testament for the last day saints. So, we can interpret this symbolically, that in the same manner in which the Israelites ate manna, we can have the privilege of eating spiritual manna. What is the process that they went through in order to eat this manna?
1] FIRST THEY GATHERED IT
“And Moses told them, “It is the food the LORD has given you. The LORD says that each household should gather as much as it needs….” (Ex 16:15b-16 NLT)
Jesus told us to pray, “Give us this day, our daily bread.” (Matt 6:11) And He also told us, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51 NKJV) (FYI: The Greek word bread in these scriptures are identical, meaning raised bread.)
Gathering manna is like a treasure hunt and brings such joy when we find His quickened, life-giving Words to us! Just as I was placing the above scriptures here, I decided to read emails. A lady shared her “6:11” story (based upon my last post about 7:11 & 11:11 confirmations) and here is what she said: “I was so excited I wanted to stand on top on my desk and start screaming. I knew it was from God. I looked up Matthew 6:11 and it says “give us this day our daily bread”. What God showed me is that He wants us to receive the Bread of Life every day in a new way.”
I was so tickled to read about her joy and also to receive the confirmation of this post. (“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63)
I love her conclusion, that the Lord wants to talk to us every day in a new way! If you are hungry to learn how to find daily manna, remembering the following scriptures help. “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” (Mark 4:23-25 NKJV) That measure is like the capacity of our baskets for gathering manna. We have to have our manna baskets stretch and grow so that we can receive more from Him. [I have written an entire book on how to increase our hearing Him; available at my website or Elijah List website.] A key to hearing Him, is to ask, seek and knock (Matt 7:7) and that is the effort we expend to gather manna. We don’t create the manna, He supernaturally sends it to us as a response to our asking.
2] THEN THEY PULVERIZED IT
“The manna looked like small coriander seeds, pale yellow in color. The people gathered it from the ground and made flour by grinding it with hand mills or pounding it in mortars.” Num 11:7,8 NLT)
Anyone who grinds coffee beans or flour knows there are various degrees of grinding. The longer time one spends grinding, the finer the substance becomes. Even rhema which is the most difficult to understand can be pulverized into baby food, if the time is taken to do so. Babies spit out lumps, but they may swallow it if the food is ground smooth enough. We grind the lumps (or the questions or stumbling blocks) by separating the chunky space between the lumps!
The more we do this, and the more time is spent doing so, eventually all the lumps disappear and we have refined food, smooth enough for all to eat, even the babies. If we try to cook it whole or cut this process short, in the end, we may spit it out and not receive anything from it at all.
Tools needed for grinding manna:
a] Elbow grease
We live in a microwave society and want to be fed now. But manna takes effort to prepare before it can be eaten. This is effort in study, prayer, searching, and separating the Word of God. (2 Tim 2:15)
This effort is studying to connect each of the isolated, questionable pieces of rhema. We find common denominators of patterns which are reference points with His Word, we use concordances, we include our personal life in the places where He has given us understanding before, etc and connect it all with the lumps that we do not understand.
b] A safe place
Grinding can be messy work. It sometimes ends up out of its gathering container, onto the floor and all over the person grinding it. 🙂 Therefore, it is best to keep the grinding in a hidden place, away from public scrutiny.
If you have a few working in the kitchen with you, they may understand the way you in particular do your grinding and give you lots of space to make messes. Others may not be so understanding and not only reject your pearls, but also reject your mess.
c] A pounding stone
I have often heard the saying, “Fall on the rock, before it falls upon you.” This comes from the scripture in Matt 21:41-44 where Jesus was speaking of Himself as the cornerstone. Then He says, “And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” (vs 44 NKJV)
The context of that scripture is not talking about grinding manna, but the parable of Jesus being the grinding stone certainly fits. As we fall upon Jesus, and let the Words that He speaks to us fall back upon Him, the Holy Spirit breaks the manna down into smaller and smaller portions until it becomes powder.
In the breaking down process, the more we hear from the Lord, rather than puffing us up, the more humbled we become. I have been a scribe for many years now and at first I would become sifted and frustrated, asking too many questions with not enough answers. I finally learned not to trust in my own mind, my own preconceived ideas, my own opinions, my own strength. Ambition, zeal, pride, all became crushed into powder as I went through the process of receiving something awesome and wonderful from the Lord, only to find out that I most definitely heard, but didn’t have the foggiest idea what He meant by it! This grinding teaches us that we have no ability to understand God on our own, we must take EVERYTHING back to Him, Who is our Source. He has sent the Holy spirit to help and teach us. “But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative– and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit– he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you.” (John 14:26 NLT) In every aspect, it is IMPOSSIBLE to live the Christian life apart from His help.
This is what the Bible says as to WHY the Lord gives us manna:
“Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would really obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people need more than bread for their life; real life comes by feeding on every word of the LORD.” (Deut 8:2-3 NLT)
“He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good.” (Deut 8:16 NLT)
3] THEN THEY COOKED IT
“The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil.” (Num 11:8 NKJV)
Another saying is, “A watched pot never boils.” And so it is with cooking. It takes time to make a fire, to heat the pot up to cook. In these last days, there are 2 kinds of fire and the choice is ours. One kind of fire is having the fiery passion of loving and thus pursuing the Lord our God: “Jesus replied, `You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matt 22:37-38 NLT)
However the second choice is a result of losing that fiery love for the Lord: “Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.” (Matt 24:12 NLT) “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Rev 2:4 NKJV)
If the embers of our love grows cold, then we will be put into the fiery furnace so that we will no longer depend upon ourselves, but turn to the Lord.
“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, `I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy gold from me–gold that has been purified by fire….” (Rev 3:15-18 NLT)
So our two choices are to cook, or to be cooked! If we cook, we zealously pursue the Lord and give Him time to stir His rhema pot within us. He turns up the fire of love and we search Him all the more. It is a joyous experience to be consumed in the passion of the Lord.
The other is to be consumed in the fire of trials. And that too is the love of the Lord, so that we will turn and sup with Him. The very next verse says: “I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference. “Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.” (Rev 3:19-20 NLT)
There is something very precious in growing in our hearing the Lord, or receiving daily manna from Him. He develops within us an appetite for Him in that the more we receive, the more we crave. To discover that the God and Creator of the universe actually wants to connect and talk to us personally, this lights a fire deep inside us. He draws us into passion with His very Words to us. “Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. Many waters cannot quench love; neither can rivers drown it.” (Song 8:6-7 NLT)
WORD TO PONDER HOLY FIRE 3/9/98
A fire is building. Watch the flames flicker with each gust of wind. As I breathe upon My people, the wind takes hold of each ember to burst forth new flames of kindled heat. Watch the fire. It grows hotter as each hour passes. Watch it build, as My people return to their first love…. The flames of passion from My people grow, as they worship Me with all of their strength… The glow of desire becomes more intense as they seek Me with all their hearts… The luminescence of their minds electrifies as they hunger for My Words. The flame grows hotter. The passion deepens.
My people, who stir My heart. My people, who draw out My great longings to respond to your unabashed love. Call on Me and I will answer! Seek Me and I will be found. The cloud of My Presence will descend upon the earth and you will be found in Me for I dwell in the praises of My people. I long to dwell in the midst of your fiery passion. Let the fires burn. Let them burn deeply.
“For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29)
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
“Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.” (Song of Solomon 4:9)
ASSIGNMENT
Think of a mystery God has spoken to you through rhema or scripture. Break it down into small pieces. Take time to chew it and apply it in different ways to your life, to scripture, and to other Words He has already spoken to you that are similar. Give God time to bring it off the back burner and onto the front. Pray into it, that He will bring the understanding to the surface so that you can swallow what He has been speaking to you.
