Exodus 16:4—“Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.”

In today’s devotion, we will focus on the last part of this verse—“that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no”.

Though freshly redeemed from Egypt, the people quickly grumble when hunger arises. The desert exposes their hearts’ need to learn to trust in God daily. Into this setting, the LORD speaks graciously: “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you.” Yet, what God provides is also what God uses to test. Daily bread becomes the measure of daily trust and obedience.

The manna is given with purpose. The people are instructed to gather “a certain rate every day.” God deliberately limits the supply to a daily portion, forbidding hoarding for tomorrow. The reason is clearly stated: “that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.” The wilderness becomes a classroom, and daily bread becomes the test. Obedience is measured not in extraordinary acts, but in the exercise of faith in ordinary matters of life.

This verse reveals that God’s testing is formative. The LORD already knows His people; the proving is for their sake. Through daily dependence, Israel learns that life is sustained not by abundance, but by trust in God’s promises. This truth echoes later in Scripture: “Man shall not live by bread alone” (Deut. 8:3). God’s law is never separated from His provision; true obedience grows out of daily dependence on Him.

Let us remember that when believers walk through seasons of uncertainty, God sometimes provides day by day rather than in abundance, not to discourage us but to train us to walk in continual dependence upon Him. The question is not whether God will provide—He will—but whether we will obey Him in the quiet, daily rhythms of life. Faith is proved not only in crisis, but in consistent, day-by-day trust in the God who gives and guides.