What If They Advertised Manna at the Super Bowl? - The Wake-Up Call

Podcast Summary: The Wake-Up Call – "What If They Advertised Manna at the Super Bowl?"

Host: Andrew Forrest
Date: February 1, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of The Wake-Up Call, hosted by Andrew Forrest (Senior Pastor of Asbury Church, Tulsa, OK), explores the story of manna in Exodus 16 and uses the clever framing question: “What if they advertised manna at the Super Bowl?” Forrest encourages listeners to consider God’s daily provision, the temptation to seek more than we need, and what it means to trust God instead of consumerism. The teaching integrates biblical lessons, modern cultural observation, and practical spiritual reflection.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction: Setting the Scene

Andrew Forrest introduces himself as the series guest host, referencing his book Love Goes First and its relevance to today's divided world.
Sets up the theme: “If you want to change the world, you have to go first, because love goes first.” (00:40)
Announces the new short series on The Wake-Up Call devoted to the second half of Exodus, aligning with Asbury Church’s year-long Bible reading journey.

2. Exodus: More Than Deliverance

Forrest emphasizes that Exodus is not only about being freed from Egypt (physical deliverance) but also about getting Egypt out of the people (spiritual and cultural transformation).

“The first part of Exodus is about God getting the people out of Egypt. The second part, however, is... getting Egypt out of the people.” (01:52)
Connects this to contemporary life: we may have left past troubles behind, but the ways of our “Egypt” can linger and require ongoing transformation.

3. Scripture Focus: The Story of Manna (Exodus 16:13–21)

Reads the passage where God provides manna for the Israelites: a daily, miraculous bread that spoiled if hoarded.
Key spiritual lessons:
- God provides for daily needs.
- Hoarding or fearing lack only leads to loss (“it bred worms and stank”).
- Manna is God’s gift—not earned, and always enough for everyone.

4. Contemporary Parallels: Manna and Super Bowl Ads

Forrest contrasts the lessons of manna with modern consumeristic messages, especially as seen during the Super Bowl:

“What will the message of nearly every one of those commercials be? You do not have enough. You need more. You are incomplete. You need what we have. Meanwhile, the voice of the Lord is calling: Trust me, I will provide today.” (05:55)
Asks: Would anyone buy manna if it were advertised at the Super Bowl? Suggesting perhaps not, because contentment and restraint aren’t what culture encourages.

5. Learning Contentment and Trust

Draws on Leon Kass's reflection (from Founding God’s Nation), highlighting how manna corrects the “Egyptian” mindset of excess, hoarding, and inequality:

“The provision of manna in the wilderness stands as a correction of agricultural Egypt, where... excesses were hoarded. The multitudes sold themselves into slavery to survive. Neighbor fought with neighbor, and one man ruled over all as if he were God, eventually leading his entire people to destruction.” (Leon Kass, quoted at 06:42)
Stresses that God’s economy is grounded in daily dependence, sufficiency, and gratitude, not fear-driven accumulation.

6. Personal Reflection and Application

Forrest encourages listeners to examine where they may doubt God’s provision or be tempted to hoard.
Draws the episode to the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us each day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).

7. Closing Prayer and Reflection Prompts

Prays for awareness of God’s gifts, contentment, and gratitude.
Journal/reflection prompts:
- Where are you doubting the Lord’s provision?
- What would trusting God look like in your life?
- Where do you need to specifically thank God for His provision?

8. Hymn: "How Deep the Father’s Love for Us" (07:33)

The episode closes with the singing of this modern hymn, emphasizing the depth of God’s love and sacrificial provision.
Notable excerpt:

“I will not boast in anything, no gifts, no power, no wisdom, But I will boast in Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection.” (08:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the deeper lesson of Exodus:

“Lord, we thank you for taking us out of Egypt. And now, O Lord, please take Egypt out of us.” (02:03)
On what the world tells us:

“You do not have enough. You need more. You are incomplete. You need what we have.” (05:55)
On what God says:

“Trust me, I will provide today. And when tomorrow comes, I’ll provide then too.” (06:08)
Personal prayer of allegiance:

“Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.” (02:10)
On gratitude and sufficiency:

“If you don’t use the manna, it spoils... Plenty... is meant to be used.” (05:05)

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:00–01:20 — Introduction and personal update
01:21–02:32 — The two halves of Exodus: Deliverance and transformation
02:33–04:23 — Prayer and reading of Exodus 16:13–21 (the manna story)
04:24–06:50 — Reflection on the lessons of manna, comparison to consumer culture
06:51–07:27 — Leon Kass quote on how manna contrasts with ancient Egypt and our world
07:28–07:32 — Brief prayer and encouragement to trust
07:33–09:38 — Hymn: "How Deep the Father’s Love for Us"
09:39–end — Closing encouragement and sign off

Reflection & Takeaway

Andrew Forrest challenges listeners to resist the “you are not enough” messages of modern culture and instead trust in God’s daily, gracious provision. The manna story asks us: Are we content with enough, or are we endlessly reaching for more? Will we listen to the voices selling scarcity, or the voice offering sufficiency and love?

For Further Engagement:

Journal on the prompts provided.
Revisit Exodus 16 or Matthew 6:11 ("daily bread").
Listen to "How Deep the Father’s Love for Us" for further reflection.

Host’s Final Words:

“Friends, be encouraged today God is at work for the Awakening. I’m Andrew Forrest, and I’ll see you on the field.” (09:44)

Transcript

A (0:00)

Foreign Sower Nation. It is Monday, February 2nd, in the year of our Lord 2026. I'm Andrew Forrest and this is your Wake Up Call. Hey, I'm so pleased to be able to be joining you folks for the next couple of weeks here on the Wake Up Call. I'm the senior pastor of Asbury Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. You may have seen the interview JD did with me back in November about my new book published with Zondervan and with Seedbed, Love Goes First. You haven't seen it. You can find it on YouTub. In a divided world, how are we going to reach the people that don't think like us, agree with us, maybe even the people who hate us? What do we do now? Well, here's the answer. If you want to change the world, you have to go first, because love goes first. I believe that the Great Commission is still binding and the Holy Spirit is still guiding and that the Lord is looking for people who are willing to go first in love. It won't be easy, but there is no other way. I'm grateful for all the seeds that JD and his team have been sowing over the years and we are praying for a great awakening. So a word about this little series. 2026 is the year through the Bible at my church and all of us at Asbury Church are using the One Year Bible as we work through the Bible together. So we're currently midway through Exodus and I'm going to be doing a series each morning here on the Wake Up Call from the second half of Exodus. Now if you were deciding where to go in the scripture to design a series for Wake Up Call, you might not pick the second of Exodus, but I'm actually really fired up about this. And this is why. The first part of Exodus is about God getting the people out of Egypt. The second part, however, is perhaps even more important. It's God getting Egypt out of the people. And as we shall see, the lessons and the laws are there in the scripture to teach us about God's way of righteousness and to form us to carry on that way to the nations. And I think that was a relevant message back in the time of ancient Israel. And it's a relevant message in our time too. So Lord, we thank you for taking us out of Egypt. And now, O Lord, please take Egypt out of us. Let's go baby. So I say to you, wake up sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on youn I fix my eyes on youn. I offer my body to youo as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to youo. Praying in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our scripture reading for the day is Exodus 16:13, 21. Hear now the word of the Lord. In the evening, quail came up and covered the camp. And in the morning, dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine flake like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, what is it? For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, it is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has gather of it, each one of you as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent. And the people of Israel did so. They gathered some more and some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, let no one leave any of it over till the morning. For they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank, and Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning, they gathered it, each as much as he could eat. But when the sun grew hot, it melted the word of the Lord. What if they advertised manna at the Super Bowl? Would anyone buy it? When Jesus teaches His disciples the model prayer that we now call the Lord's Prayer, he includes this phrase, Give us each day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11. Jesus is of course, drawing on the story about the wonderful supply of manna that the Lord provided to the Israelites during their 40 year sojourn in the desert. Manna is Hebrew for what is it? The point is that just as the Lord provided for the Israelites, so does he provide for us today. So just think about the lessons the Israelites are learning as they gather the manna each morning. The Lord sees their need and meets it. The Lord gives them just what they need for that day. Tomorrow it will happen again. There is no need to hoard because there is just the right amount for all. They must learn to focus on the day at hand. They have to learn to control their desires for excess and their fears for the future. There's plenty for everyone, and God provides just because not. Because people deserve it. If you don't use the manna, it spoils financial. Plenty, for example, is meant to be used. I like how Leon Cass puts it, keeping in mind the experience of Egypt, out of which Israel has been delivered in all these respects, the provision of manna in the wilderness stands as a correction of agricultural Egypt. Where land ownership was centralized, inequalities were everywhere. Acquisitiveness knew no respite, excesses were hoarded. The multitudes sold themselves into slavery to survive. Neighbor fought with neighbor, and one man ruled over all as if he were God, eventually leading his entire people to destruction. Leon Cass, Founding God's Nation those are lessons worth learning today, aren't they? We're in the lead up to the super bowl, and the big game is Sunday evening, and millions of eyeballs will be tuned not just to the football but to the commercials. And what will the message of nearly every one of those commercials be? You do not have enough. You need more. You are incomplete. You need what we have. Meanwhile, the voice of the Lord is calling. Trust me, I will provide today. And when tomorrow comes, I'll provide then too. This weekend, which message are we going to listen to? See, God wants to not only take people out of Egypt, he also wants to take Egypt out of the people. Lord, give us today our daily bread and teach us to trust you for tomorrow, too. Lord, you have given us light and life today. Thank you for the breath you so readily provide and the abundance all around us. Teach us to see your gifts more clearly and what it means to gratefully receive them. Most of all, Lord, teach us to be content in you. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. So some journal prompts to get you thinking. Is there a particular place in your life today where you are doubting the Lord's provision? What would it look like if you totally trusted that God would provide what you needed? Where specifically do you need to thank God for his provision in your life? Well, friends, today as we wrap up, we're going to sing How Deep the Father's Love for Us, which is hymn 93 from the seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer's Praise. I've always loved this hymn. It's gorgeous. It's a relatively modern hymn from 1995 by Stuart Townen.