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| not mine, but mine is on. |
I sat down this morning to do my devotions and was discontent with the usual “read through the Bible” reading plan. I was looking in the back of my Women’s Devotional Bible at the various reading plans and came across one that intrigued me.
“20 Not-So-Famous Bible Stories”
Having been born and raised in church, growing up in Sunday school and children’s church there are times that I feel like an expert, I can gush the Bible stories with the best of them. This reading plan intrigued me. It sparked interest in my heart. And so I purposed that this was the plan for me!
Day 1 is Numbers 11.
Wow, it rocked my day.
It is one glimpse of the Israelites in the desert. Now the “God thing” about this is that Pastor Brady talked about this story on Sunday Morning in a sermon that pierced my heart and laid conviction upon me. Do you think that maybe God is trying to get my attention? My husband will be happy if He does, because this is a contention point in our marriage as well.
So, the Israelites are in the desert.
God is providing a cloud every day to spare them from the torture of the hot sun
And providing a fire in the sky to provide heat from the frigid nights.
(That right there should show the Israelites that God is there and showing them the way, but well, for some of us it’s difficult to see the obvious and we are never satisfied. You will pick up on the theme, just wait.)
God provides Manna on the ground when the dew settles every night.
Growing up I assumes that this was like funny shaped pieces of Wonder Bread. Of course the people were getting tired of it. I would be tired of eating Wonder Bread all day, every day too!
This was perhaps my justification for not letting the meaning sink deep into my spirit.
However, if you read in Numbers 11:7-8 (NIV), “The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into cakes. And it tasted like something made with olive oil.
This manna, it was not wonder bread. It was versatile, and it had great flavor. I use olive oil for everything! And when I say everything, I’m not exaggerating! The flavor, the consistency, and yes, the price, well enough about olive oil. I now can expand my mental picture of manna. In my imagination now, they can use manna as cereal, bread, cake, etc. You get the picture.
God was taking care of His people, why would He throw them a piece of dry Wonder Bread?
He was providing them with sustenance, a complete and nutritious meal that they simply had to gather and prepare. He was allowing them to completely be dependent on Him and He was showing them that He was their provider.
He was giving them the answers and showing them that He was there.
How many times have I said, “well if God would just write it in the clouds then I would be able to understand what He wanted and wants me to do.” At which point my wise mother says, “would you believe it if you saw the answer in the sky?”
Have I become an Israelite in the desert?
God providing cloud, fire and manna and yet I am dissatisfied and need God to “show me”?
Have I become discontent with all that God is providing?
Let’s get back to the story,
The rabble (I like this descriptive word) with them began to crave other food; they remembered Egypt where they had fish and cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.
They remembered a different time and in light of their present circumstances it seemed like a better time.
How often do I look back and remember the money from that job, or the fun of having those friends around, the carefree lifrstyle that I used to live?
What the children of Israel had forgotten was that they were SLAVES!!!!!
Held in captivity, God “brought them out” of it, He rescued them!
What I have forgotten is that I was stressed and treated like dirt “in that job”, those “friends” were not a good influence and led me into behavior that I did not like for myself, that carefree lifestyle came with it’s own difficulties.
God “brought me out” of those situations, He moved me on and rescued me.
Why would I fixate on the “ideals” of those situations and forget the rest of the picture?
Because I have lost my focus.
I have focused on what I have, on me and the circumstances and situations around me and have forgotten to look at all that God is doing.
I have forgotten to be thankful and completely dependent on God.
After all, He is the one providing the manna, but I have become complacent and comfortable and forgot that I am COMPLETELY dependent on Him.
The people were complaining to Moses, and he got tired of it. S
o, woe is me to carry this burden and he took it to God.
God told Moses, Numbers 11:18-20, “Now the Lord will give you meat and you will eat it. You will not eat if for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a while month – until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it – because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, ‘why did we ever leave Egypt’.”
Moses reply, get a load of this, (adapted by me) “What!?! There are not enough flocks or herds fish in the sea for them”.
God’s reply, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”
And it did, they had quail, quail, quail, God brought it in from the sea and they were three feet off the ground. And while they were eating their quail they were struck with a plague that killed people who had craved other food.
My human nature is discontent.
I see bigger and better for the future.
I look back and see the greatness of where I was, forgetting the details that drove me from that place in life, forgetting the way that God rescued me from those trials and tragedies.
I am constantly striving and stressing, all in the name of a better future for myself, my family.
What if……..
What if I turned to Psalm 25: 1-22
“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God…..
Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
For the sake of you name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.
I will take refuge in you.”
What if… I was to look at the cloud that is provided in the day and recognize it as God covering to protect me from the scorching sun.
What if… I was to look at the fire by night and see it for the source of heat provided to keep me from being frozen.
What if… I was to look at the manna, the complete meal that tasted as though it had been prepared with olive oil as the sustenance that God was providing to care for me and my family.
What if… I was to quit comparing my circumstances to past circumstances where I only see the good.
What if… I was to quit comparing my situation with others around me.
What if… I had a heart of gratitude and thankfulness.
What if… I recognized my times of weakness and turned to God so that I can flee temptations.
What if… I was completely dependent on God
…right here
…right now
…in this situation and circumstance that He has placed me
and provided for.
