40 Years of God-Experience

I am getting older.
It's obvious by the scarcity of hair on my head and the gray in my beard.
It's obvious in the grown-up lives of my kids. They used to hunt Easter eggs and lose teeth and enjoy piggy-back rides. If I tried to give them a piggy-back ride now, I'd be riding. To the emergency room.
But, there is an illuminating side to this age. It is possible for me to know of something for 40 years. In my memory, there can be 40-year-old phenomena. Bicycles, birthday cakes, banana pudding and bb guns are things I've known of for 40 years. And lots of other things besides.
Last night, I was reminded of something I've probably known about for 40 years. It's the Bible story of the manna; the bread of heaven provided for the Hebrews during their sojourn from Egypt to Israel. It is described in Exodus 18 as small and round and fine as frost, tasting like honey and similar to coriander seed. (Don't know anything at all about coriander seed.) I suppose I first heard about manna in a children's Sunday School class or from the Bible Story books my dad read to us at home. The Hebrews would wake up in the morning and out on the ground, there would be manna. They didn't know what to call it. They looked at each other and said, "What is it?" In Hebrew, that's "manna?" So, they called it, 'what is it' bread, or manna.
"Manna, this tastes good!"
"Momma, what some manna?"
"Manna pudding anyone?"
The Hebrews were told they should gather the manna every morning, not storing any up for the next day. When they tried to store it, it rotted quickly. However, on the day before Sabbath, they were explicitly instructed to gather enough for two days. And on these occasions, the manna would keep. Curious.
I've known of this story for 40 years. The Hebrews Lived This Story for 40 years.
If there was one thing a middle-aged Hebrew man with gray arriving in his beard knew, it was that the manna was going to be there in the morning. I mean you could doubt it for awhile. But after 40 years straight, I'm prepared to believe that there was not much doubt left in the Hebrew camp. It was the regular, daily, necessary, tasty provision of God for His people. It was coming. Better than the mail service. More dependable than Moses' sermons. The manna was gonna be there.
It made me wonder as I thought of it last night, "What do I know about God with 40 years of proof?"
I can think of some things. One of them is just this: God can be known. Personally. Vitally. In the reality of life in 2009, there is a Truth that says, God can be known.
God provides. He has been in the providing business since Creation. And He's good at it.
Daily life in relationship with God through Jesus Christ is a life of love.
And, after I am able to say that I have 50 years experience with Him, there will still be more of Him to know!