"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8
I interpret my feelings about things I have seen or experiences I have had through writing or art. The older I get, the more I am aware of the environment, find joy in the simplest of things, and the more observant I have become.
This past week has been extremely tiring. I've come home from work and thought about reading, painting, watching TV or writing, but couldn't do much. I just felt restless, sleepy and worked to the bone. Wednesday afternoon in the office, I stood up from my desk to clear my head. I looked away from the daunting piles of paperwork for a brief moment and gazed out the window. It was an overcast day with a few breaks in the clouds and a warm breeze, but it looked like snow flakes were falling from the sky. As I held on to the window sill, I looked up and around to see if it was maybe manna sent from heaven like God gave to the Israelites when they were wandering in the desert. Exodus 16
As I watched the white fluff floating through the sky and dancing just above the blades of grass, I wondered if this was some kind of miracle or sign?
Later, as I was driving home, the white puffs still swirled around in the air, floating around my head above in the sun roof of my truck where they danced like fairies against the glass. It looked magical. I realized after observing this phenomenon, it was actually the wind picking up the fluff (pappus) from the dandelions in the grass and spreading seeds in the atmosphere. I don't think I had ever truly noticed this in nature, even as a child plucking them from the yard to to blow and make wishes.
The soaring dandelion seed event stayed with me on into the evening when I sat down to write and study my Bible. Of course, its now been 3 days since this happened and sleep was necessary for me, so words are finally getting to paper. (I take that back,now 4 days....I fell asleep at my computer.)
"But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” Numbers 11:6
I was mentally and physically exhausted, but the Lord got my attention through this mesmerizing scene. My strength really had dried up from the toil of work.
The Israelites lived in Egyptian bondage for generations. They cried to God for help for their suffering. God responded by performing miracles through a man named Moses. After they left Egypt, the Israelites wandered the desert for forty years on their way to a land promised to them by God while grumbling, scared and with very little faith. Often, they thought it might be better to go back into slavery because they had rich Egyptian meals and slavery was all they knew.
One day, God provided a miracle of food to the people of the desert. It rained a substance that they named, manna, which fell from heaven and was enough food to sustain the Israelites for the entire forty years. They still complained and were ungrateful, but God still provided this honey flavored wafer from heaven to satisfy their hunger.
The manna was sent to test Israel's faith, to humble and establish trust and to teach them that one "does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 8:3,16).
The following day after the dandelion whirlwind, I got word that my background check came through at my new employer and a weight was lifted. I am going to work there temporarily while I look for the best fit for me. I promptly put in my notice on Friday afternoon.
Do you trust that God will meet your needs? It's hard when you feel lost and wandering in the wilderness. It's difficult when you were placed in a position where people are indifferent and unkind, but maybe God placed you there for a reason: for endurance, to deal with difficult people, to be a light.
The dandelions helped me meditate on the fact that God has given us manna in a way every day. Money for our needs, shelter, His Word for direction, support and love from friends and family.
God is always able to provide manna specific to your needs when you stop and open your senses to the ways he reaches out to you. Maybe it's through cottony flower seeds in the wind. Stop and take note. Listen to Him. He will never steer you in the wrong direction.
Painting: Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577 - 1640), The Gathering of the Manna, c. 1625, Oil on canvas, 192 x 162 in. (487.7 x 411.5 cm). Bequest of John Ringling, 1936. The Ringling Museum, Sarasota, FL.
https://www.ringling.org/five-facts-about-rubens-ringling
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