“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” Revelation 2:17
In the above verse, the Lord makes significant promises to those who overcome. Throughout human history, overcoming all the problems and obstacles in life has always been difficult; but most people would agree that the past couple of years has presented an unprecedented flood of challenges. But, as always, the Lord has not left us helpless or hopeless. He has consistently promised to be with us in our troubles and the promises in Revelation 2:17 contain some very encouraging elements that we desperately need.
The promise of “hidden manna” is an obvious reference to God’s provision of supernatural nourishment to the children of Israel during their time in the desert. When the manna first appeared on the ground the people were confused as to what it was, how it got there and why God sent it. But they later realized that it was supernatural sustenance that God provided to meet there needs and keep them alive and healthy. They also learned that they needed to spend time each day gathering the fresh supply that God provided to meet their needs for that day. There are many lessons that we can learn from the Old Testament example of God’s provision of the manna. But the main principles are that God continues to supply supernatural nourishment to His people to keep us alive and healthy spiritually. But we have to spend time in his presence each day to receive the “hidden manna” of supernatural nourishment.
The meaning of the promised “white stone” is not as obvious on the surface; but when we dig deeper into it, there are some encouraging treasures of truth. In ancient times, small stones or pebbles were typically used to cast votes in an election or to make decisions in courts. A ‘no’ vote was represented by a black stone and a ‘yes’ vote was represented by a white stone. So, when the Lord promised to give us a white stone—it signifies that the Lord is voting positively in our favor! When white stones were cast in a courtroom decision, a person was declared “not guilty.” So, the Lord is declaring his support for us as well as his verdict of not guilty upon us because of his sacrifice on the cross.
There are other powerful principles represented by the white stone. The new name represents our new identity in Christ. And since the white stone is given to us, that means that God is empowering us to continue to live our new lives by consistently voting “yes” to God’s will. One last nugget. The Greek word in this verse for “stone” is the word ‘psephos.’ This word comes from the same root as the Greek word ‘psallo’ which has strong connections to the concept of worshipping God and celebrating his goodness. So, when we regularly come into the Presence of the Lord to worship him; we will receive supernatural nourishment “hidden manna” that empowers us to continue to overcome as we consistently vote “yes” to the Lord’s will. Make up your mind daily to gather the “hidden manna” in the Lord’s Presence and cast your “yes” vote to live in God’s will!
