Words: , 1836.

The pupils of Rab­bi Ben Jo­chai once asked him with re­gard to the man­na sent to the Is­ra­el­ite host in the wil­der­ness: “Why did not the Lord fur­nish enough man­na to Is­ra­el for a year all at one time?”

“I will answer you with a par­a­ble,” re­spond­ed the teach­er. “Once there was a king who had a son to whom he gave a year­ly al­low­ance, pay­ing him the en­tire sum on a fixed day. It soon hap­pened that the day on which the al­low­ance was giv­en was the on­ly day in the year when the fa­ther ev­er saw his son. So the king changed his plan and gave his son day by day that which suf­ficed for the day. And now the son vi­sit­ed his fa­ther ev­ery morn­ing. Thus God dealt with Is­ra­el.”

Quoted in

Music: Munus, , 1872. Al­ter­nate tune:

  • Woodward’s Li­ta­ny, , 1863

Day by day the manna fell;
O to learn this lesson well!
Still by constant mercy fed,
Give me Lord, my daily bread.

“Day by day,” the promise reads,
Daily strength for daily needs;
Cast foreboding fears away;
Take the manna of today.

Lord! my times are in Thy hand;
All my sanguine hopes have planned,
To Thy wisdom I resign,
And would make Thy purpose mine.

Thou my daily task shalt give;
Day by day to Thee I live;
So shall added years fulfill,
Not my own, my Father’s will.

Fond ambition, whisper not;
Happy is my humble lot.
Anxious, busy cares away;
I’m provided for today.

Oh, to live exempt from care
By the energy of prayer:
Strong in faith, with mind subdued,
Yet elate with gratitude!