Ultimately, we are given the gift of our daily bread for our faith that God’s kingdom will come here on earth as it is in heaven. Even if His kingdom seems opposite of what our lives might look like today…
God gives.
We receive.
We aren’t the ones who do the work. We are the ones through whom God does the work.
Full stop.
Or as the Psalmist would say, Selah.3
In the deep believing of God as Creator and me as caretaker, I’m learning our daily bread might seem like hardened crusts thrown out for the birds here in our wilderness of health concerns, especially that of cancer. Yet when I stop to Selah on the faithful goodness of God in all things, I see those crusts as a different type of manna.
The Israelites described manna as light, airy, sweet, nourishing bread spread out on the ground in front of their tents each morning of their 40 years in the wilderness (see Exodus chapter 16). As lovely as manna initially was to the Israelites, they grew tired of it with time. Similarly, I find myself growing tired of the daily gathering of faith each morning to trust my Good God here in cancer and chronic illnesses.
Even though I know I only need a mustard-seed’s worth of faith for mountains to move from in front of me, it’s still a huge challenge for me to stop and receive and rely on the faith God gives as I pray (see Matthew 17:20). Every day’s demands in cancer or other hard circumstances require multiple times a day stopping and stooping in prayer and petition for a measure of today’s manna of faith.
And then the next day, I have to do it all over again.
Prayer after prayer given.
Manna after manna received.
Scripture tells me God gives new mercies each morning (see Lamentations 3:22-23). Thus, like manna in the desert, I’m not dependent on leftover mercies for meeting today’s challenges which often stretch far past my own strength.
Yet the beauty of that truth doesn’t stop there…
Almighty God wants me to seek Him in prayer.
Think about that for a minute – Almighty God Himself wants to hear from and speak to me. Not something or someone else. And He Himself gives strength against worry and hope for despair (see Philippians 4:6-7 and Psalm 30:11).
GGod wants to hear from me about anything and everything, including the pain no one else knows about and the grief that just won’t leave. For when I tell Him all about it, He gives hope to me with every word and every tear.
God wants to do the same for you. No need to try and fix yourself and then, come. God says come as you are and I will transform you (see Matthew 11:28-30).
God’s gift of renewed hope springing up from the planting of true soul-felt prayer is my daily bread. His hope is the manna feeding the secret places and nourishes the hidden treasures in me here in the wilderness of cancer I never imagined I’d know (see Colossians 2:3).
More importantly, that renewal of hope in the soil of my soul isn’t just for nourishment and life for me. It’s manna and daily bread for all those whom God has placed in my life to receive His truth spoken in His love from me (see Ephesians 4:15).
That’s the kind of daily bread I want for my life, and I think you do, too.
That daily bread of a manna of faith which can change the world, one meal and one mercy at a time as it moves one mountain at a time day after day, year after year, in a relentless renewing of hope in my life and yours, too.
With all that in mind, now is always the best time to selah and seek God in prayer for whatever is weighing on your soul. God already knows all about it and you, too. But He waits for you to tell Him and for you to receive His strong peace and His faithful hope in return.
3 Selah is a musical term telling the musicians to stop and consider what they’ve just sung or played. A time of Selah is a time of contemplation for a greater identification with the meaning and purpose of the song, be it praise or lament, thanksgiving or confession.
If you missed reading part 1 and/or part 2 of this series on thy kingdom come, they should be listed below in the suggested post list for you.
I look forward to having some exciting news for you soon about release dates for The Nevertheless Project from Abundance Books Publishing House. Thank you, all, for your prayers and encouragement which have helped this project go from being a dream in my heart to a reality on the page!
written by and copyrighted to Beth Madison, Ph.D., 2026.
Soul Scientist 
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