27
Oct '18
God Provides what We Need
27
Oct '18
Written by: Mark Culp
Exodus 16:4 recounts the story of when God introduced manna to the Israelites. It was during the time when He was leading them through the desert after He had miraculously delivered them from the bondage of Pharaoh. They were in the wilderness where God was leading them and forging a people for His own.
His seemingly simple instructions to His people were to gather only what they needed for the day with the exception of the sixth day of every week, where they would gather twice as much. These instructions were simple enough, at least on the surface, but to many, the instructions just did not make any sense. They were in a desert wilderness after all, and many decided to gather more than they needed for the day and stock up some for later. It made perfect sense. What would happen though, was the extra amount people would gather became rotten by the next morning, leaving them right where they started.
God was trying to teach them dependence upon Him. He would supply their need for food, His way, one day at a time.
Deuteronomy 8:2 reads “Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey His command.”
So, the people of Israel gathered more than what was instructed. What was the big deal? The instructions seemed to run counter to common sense. Sometimes, if not most times, we as Christians live our lives and make our decisions based solely on our human sensibilities (He gave us a brain, after all, isn’t that what He expects? Yes and no). He gave us a brain and expects us to use it, but in very subtle ways, at first we tend to rely solely on our own understanding of things. It is here that we are most likely to disregard some seemingly small thing that we know God wants of us. What He asked doesn’t seem to make sense and we dismiss it as maybe just a suggestion. Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT puts it in very simple words: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”
Disregarding something we deem as small may have big repercussions. God always wants what is best for us even when that path includes pain. Just know that whatever God asks us to do, even if it seems counter intuitive, is always for our good. Our understanding is finite and its reliability is faulty due to man’s fall.
Go to God for true understanding (we’re not smart enough to do this on our own), learn to get over yourself and learn to trust Him.
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Mark
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I’m currently 51 years old and live in Saline with my wife Melinda. We each have 2 children, and together we have 12 grandchildren (including 2 still in the “oven”). I have walked through various hardships in life and it’s my prayer and desire to share some of the things I’ve learned walking through these hardships. I pray that God uses something in what I share to spark in you a thought that may have needed to be lit. I don’t presume to have it all worked out, and much of what you will read is currently being worked out in my own life. I would like to thank my precious Lord for this “voice” and pray that what I say will bring honor to Him. – Mark
Thank you for your post, Mark. It’s always a temptation to try and “be God” in some of life’s most challenging circumstances. I have been guilty of trying to work through things by my own strength, It always has disastrous results! God wants me to trust Him, and He wants me to “stay in the pocket” regardless of whether I feel like running the ball, myself!