When the Manna Runs Out

Read Time: 2 Minutes, 7 Seconds

Do you ever have times when your normal “daily rhythm” just isn’t working for you? You feel like you’re unable to go deeper spiritually, unproductive, or unimaginative. The excitement of progress or new inspiration feels like it was ages ago.

I’ve been there. In this place the Lord spoke to me “your manna has run out”. At first take, I felt uneasy. My manna had run out? That sounded more like an eviction notice from my calling than an encouraging word from the Lord. Until I looked at the Scriptures.

Turns out, in scripture the manna runs out twice. Exodus 16 outlines how when the Sabbath would come each week there would be no manna. Not because their luck had run out, but because they already had what they needed. They were invited into a preparatory rest that both celebrated what they had accomplished the past week and prepared for the week to come.

The next time the manna runs out is in Joshua 5 when they finally arrive in the promised land. The manna didn’t stop because their anointing had ended. The manna stopped so they could put down roots. That very day the ate the fruits of their inheritance. They settled into a new way of life.

When you’ve hit a wall with forward progress or find your daily routine running dry, it may just be that your manna is gone. If so, God is speaking one of two things over you; “rest” or “roots”. Sometimes when we feel like we’re running up against closed door after closed door, it’s because we are being invited into a preparatory rest.

It’s also a reminder that it’s not in our own strength that we work out new opportunities, but that we already have been given all we need for exactly where we are on the path of our callings. Other times, when our old ways aren’t working it’s because the Lord is inviting us to put down roots and do life in a new way that we wouldn’t if we didn’t get out of old routines. It’s an invitation to settle new lands and to begin planting and harvesting new things.

Ask the Lord today if He’s calling you to “rest” or “roots” and what that looks like. Your apparent “dead end” may prove to be a new beginning.

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Sara Whitten is an author, speaker, equipper, and founder of Arrows of Zion Ministry. She and her husband are pastors for the youth of Impact Christian Fellowship in Kerrville, Texas. Sara is a prophetic writer that is featured on Elijah List, Spirit Fuel, Charisma and more. She hosts “Hear God Every Day” on Charisma Podcast Network, a podcast with tools to help amplify the voice of God amidst the noise of everyday life.