Enough?
How patient are you with a complainer?If I’m honest, I can handle it for a little while… but there comes a point where I want to buy them a big, fat clue. This is especially true when my children are the ones complaining. I know how good they have it. I also know how hard Chris and I work to provide them with the protection and opportunities they have.The times when I’m working on the budget and they come home and mention not having something they want are especially dangerous. As I’ve pored over the best way to be good stewards and save for college and cars and things that many people in the world never experience, their timing couldn’t be worse. A lecture from mom is almost unavoidable. If they could only grasp how many people would long for the security and provision they’ve experienced!As I was recently in Exodus in my priority time, I had this same sense of frustration as I reflected on the Israelites. They’d just been freed from slavery and walked through the Red Sea. It can’t be overstated how grateful they should’ve been. Yet just three days after this miraculous dry walk through a body of water, the people of Israel were griping that the water they found to drink was bitter. I would’ve moved into lecture mode, but God graciously added supernatural Sweet N Low to the water.As if the first flavored water wasn’t enough, they moved past the water and reminisced about the meat of Egypt. Seriously? This is like a freed prisoner discussing how they really missed jail food. Ridiculous! God, however, didn’t chastise them. Instead, He declared that He would rain down food from heaven. And sure enough, He did. Note that He didn’t send just one night of meals… He set up forty years’ worth of daily deliveries. But in Exodus 16:4 the Lord explains to Moses that there’s a reason for this blessing,
Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
Did you catch it? Within this blessing, God was testing His children. He was giving them what they needed. He was taking care of every single need. He was being a faithful God.Throughout all of history, God has been faithful. The question for the Israelites, and the question for us, is: Are we being faithful? Are we faithful to trust that God’s way is best? Are we faithful to follow Him so we can experience His protection?[bctt tweet="Are you faithful to trust that God’s way is best?"]The answer for the Israelites was no. Instead of trusting God daily, they tried to gather more than they needed. If you know the story, you know the result. The excess manna that they tried to store ended up full of worms and stinking up the tent.As I reflected on the Israelites’ journey, I was convicted and challenged. God has been faithful to give me everything I need, yet how many times do I complain? How many times do I take the sweet water and then move right on to make another demand? I can’t imagine I’m alone in this struggle, so I challenge you to pause and consider:
- Where have you become ungrateful for God’s provision?
- Where are you going outside of God’s provision to try to gather just a little bit more?
- Where do you need to trust that God’s provision is enough?
May each of us choose an attitude of trust and gratitude. May we never lose sight of God’s faithfulness.[bctt tweet="Where do you need to trust that God’s provision is enough?"]