The residents of Lajamanu, a remote Australian town, received a fishy gift last summer. Hundreds of small spangled perch dropped from the sky! Meteorologists believe the fish were sucked up into the clouds by a storm. “It could have scooped the fish up to 40,000 to 50,000 feet in the air. Once they get up into the system they [were] pretty much frozen. After some period they [were] released,” said a weather expert. Surprisingly, Lajamanu has been bombarded by flying (frozen) fish twice before—in 1974 and 2004.
A month after being miraculously delivered from Egypt, the Israelites were looking for a nice, fresh fish dinner—or something fresh to eat (Exodus 16:1-3). The wilderness didn’t allow for much, shall we say, delicious cuisine. God knew what His people needed, and He told Moses that He would “rain down food from heaven” (Exodus 16:4). And that’s just what He did!
God provided His complaining people with bread in the morning and meat in the evening (Exodus 16:12). But, instead of fish, God gave them “vast numbers of quail [that] flew in and covered the camp” (Exodus 16:13). So the Israelites had some tasty fowl to consume. In fact, “Each family had just what it needed” (Exodus 16:18).
Why would God give His people simply what they needed and no more? He was teaching them to trust in Him alone and not in their own means. He was teaching them about real faith. Jesus reflected the same faith-building way of life in the Lord’s Prayer, telling His disciples to pray, “Give us today the food we need” (Matthew 6:11).
Are you content with what God has provided for you today? If not, it’s time to take a fresh look at your faith. God wants us to depend on Him for our daily provision—not the frozen fish in the freezer.
More:
Numbers 11:31-35 presents an account of falling quail. Why did God discipline His people? How can you avoid following their sinful behavior?
Next:
Why does God desire that you be content with His provision? How is He developing your faith by giving you what you need—not what you want?
AManofGod on February 10, 2011 at 2:10 am
Just this evening I was speaking to my 79 year mother about this very topic! My mom always worried about money and having enough “things” to provide for her large family when we were young. [I am one of eleven children my parents raised]. My mom was always amazed at the fact that my father never worried…..he always had faith that God would give us exactly what we needed. While she worried and doubted my dad was very cavalier about money. My mother said dad would tell her “if you close your fist so tightly to keep what you have, you can’t let God give you what he wants you to have!” My dad simply refused to worry about money. He passed on to glory in 2003 and at his funeral many people marvelled at how my parents could raise eleven children (and send them all to Catholic schools). They all said we must have been rich! Indeed we were rich but not in earthly terms. My dad saved very little and spent mostly all he had on us. I never saw him worry and if he did he did a great job of hiding it from his family.
I try to live like my dad when it comes to worrying about money. God always has, and always will provide what we need. We just have to learn to trust Him.
AManofGod
tom felten on February 10, 2011 at 8:30 am
AManofGod, we have an aged family member who has run out of funds. It’s cool to see how God is laying it on the hearts of many of her nieces and nephews to give and make sure she’s taken care of. May we open our hands today and give generously to others as we give God our time, talents, and treasures!
cspevacek on February 10, 2011 at 6:12 am
Wow, AManofGod I love that quote from your Dad. Sounds like he really knew where his priorities were. We all need to remind ourselves who is in charge and focus not on the things of this world but those of His Kingdom to come. Hope you don’t mind if I pass that quote on,with credit to your dad, to a friend who is a worry wart. Many Blessings to all!
tom felten on February 10, 2011 at 8:35 am
cspevacek, what you wrote reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” As we follow Him in trust and obedience, He provides what we truly need!
lindagma on February 10, 2011 at 8:36 am
What a place of freedom…not many people reach that complete trust. I find myself thinking, “yes God will provide but He expects me to do my part.” It’s very difficult for me to relax and take each day as it comes.
tom felten on February 10, 2011 at 9:20 am
Me too, lindagma. I find myself sometimes praying like the man in Mark 9:24, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief.” I’m grateful for God’s grace and patience!
winn collier on February 10, 2011 at 9:47 am
God’s daily provision requires I pay attention to the now, but I really like to pine away for the later.
eppistle on February 10, 2011 at 10:16 am
That story sounds fishy. Agur’s prayer shows us why we should be content with having just enough: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, `Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God (Proverbs 30:8,9). Too much of a good thing can be a curse in disguise. If we are blessed with wealth, we should give much of it away and pray that God would protect us from our pride and self-sufficiency.
tom felten on February 10, 2011 at 10:31 am
haha, you’re right, eppistle—the story does seem fishy. But it’s happened at least two other times! Thanks for the verses from Proverbs. Great wisdom that reveals the need for us to view our money as God’s money. We are simply to be stewards of what He has given us. Theses verses in Revelation speak of where true treasure is found: Revelation 3:17-19.
sowharvest on February 10, 2011 at 3:21 pm
Tom What a great message today. As my family has been going through some very tough times.. I am “AManof God”‘s mother– worrying worrying. Yet every time I get like this GOD has a word for me.(be it thru the devotionals or just a word spoken). And you know what I realized last evening that GOD makes a way so that we have our needs met. And always it is just enough. So I am learning to “be content in all things” Phlpns 4:12 But Tom it is a hourly lesson! (LOL). Thanks for the words of encouragement.
tom felten on February 10, 2011 at 4:20 pm
sowharvest, I love your name! It’s so good to have you in our online community. My mother is also a world-class worrier, so you’re in good company. 🙂 I’m so thankful for her for so many reasons, but one special reason is that she is also an amazing prayer warrior (somehow worrying and prayer go together well!). Thanks for your reminder for us to pursue contentedness based in God’s provision. And, you’re right, is an hourly lesson!
daisymarygoldr on February 10, 2011 at 6:02 pm
The other day I caught myself complaining about the small size of our home. It is getting a little too crowded for our growing family. I do need to take a fresh look at my faith. Faith comes from the hearing of God’s Word.
Jesus is the Word of God. Manna is a type of Jesus who is the bread that came down from Heaven. By teaching us to pray “Give us today the food we need”, Jesus was not simply referring to the physical bread. People do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. We should therefore, ask God to give us the daily spiritual bread we need.
We must not trust in our own means to provide for our spiritual food. A.B Simpson writes “The reason why multitudes of Christians are famished and feeble is because they are trying to live upon the husks or the fruits of this world. They are longing for the flesh pots of Egypt or the quails of lust and are weary of the simple bread of God. They feed on man’s philosophies, the protoplasm’s of materialism, the sensationalism of the novel… or the husks of the market and stock exchange, instead of the pure, sweet, sustaining word of God.”
When we read God’s Word it is enough to sustain us for that day. We cannot survive if our spiritual strength is not renewed everyday. Faith to overcome our daily challenges comes from hearing and doing God’s word daily. It enables us to pursue a day-to-day personal relationship with Jesus.
The Bible is replete with verses about the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ. He is the key to our contentment. When we depend on God for our daily provision, He enables us to live victorious Christian lives. And everyone who is victorious will someday eat of the Manna that has been hidden away in Heaven (Rev 2:17).
Thanks tom felten for a fresh revelation from His Word!
tom felten on February 10, 2011 at 9:16 pm
daisymarygoldr, thank you for your honesty and insight. The quote by Simpson is powerful. How we need “the pure, sweet, sustaining word of God.” And I love how you pointed us to the future—to Revelation 2:17. Yes, by keeping an eternal perspective as we deal with the problems and challenges of life, our hearts can more easily be filled with hope and quiet contentment!