My vitamins come in three fruity flavors. Fortunately, someone designed them to look and taste more like candy than health aids. The contents include stuff like vitamin B-6, niacin, and folic acid. Each serving contains enough supplements to last for one day. Every morning I have to consume another dose because my body has been busy using up yesterday’s vitamin supply.
The Israelites experienced a similar sense of dependence on the mysterious breadlike food that fell from heaven. Having arrived in the wilderness of Sin, they began to gripe, saying, “[In Egypt] we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted” (Exodus 16:3).
The Israelites’ complaints reached God’s ears, so He decided to airdrop food from heaven. He told Moses, “Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day” (Exodus 16:4). They weren’t supposed to stockpile the stuff (Exodus 16:16,19), and those who did found that it turned into a smelly, worm-infested mess overnight (Exodus 16:20).
Gathering the supernatural sustenance taught the Israelites to obey and depend on God every day. Eventually, depending on God became a way of life. “[They] ate the manna for forty years . . . [until] they came to the border of the land of Canaan” (Exodus 16:35 NASB).
God wants us to rely on Him as well. Consistent daily dependence leads to a lifestyle of reliance on God. Maybe this is why He often gives us a daily dose of His help rather than fixing our problems all at once. If we become disappointed when God doesn’t solve the big problems in our lives, we can remember that He’s still at work in the situation, supplying just what we need one day at a time.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Exodus 18:1-27
More:
Read Psalm 125:1-2 to be encouraged as you rely on God. Look up 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 to see how Paul moved from self-reliance to God-reliance.
Next:
How did God supply a daily dose of help when you faced a difficult situation? In what ways can you practice reliance on Him this week?
Gary Shultz on February 13, 2015 at 6:18 am
I used to think how the modern day Christian was so much better than the complaining Jewish travelers…. I’m not, the lesson of faith must still be taught, I must still learn to rely on God. The companion part is also difficult, to listen and obey. From Eden to present day we still don’t listen nearly as we should. And as then God still loves more then is ever deserved. How great is that; “how can it be”? Thanks
jennifer benson schuldt on February 13, 2015 at 2:37 pm
I often find myself wondering why the Israelites had such an up-and-down relationship with God. Then I look at my own life, and I see the same pattern! You named several aspects of the Christian life we all must “relearn” from time to time: faith, obedience, listening to God. I think I’ll try working on all three today! 🙂
street on February 13, 2015 at 9:39 am
i c a pattern here! God wants us to depend on Him. He wants us to obey Him. Jesus linking obedience with love. yes God wants us to turn to Him when disappointment comes. maybe after we get that right we will learn to turn to Him when success comes. both disappointment and success can be great stumbling blocks. in the end if we know God they will have served their purpose. turn and love Him above self and others.
jennifer benson schuldt on February 13, 2015 at 2:41 pm
I agree–both failure and success can break our fellowship with God. Maybe because they tempt us (in different ways) to think about ourselves instead of Him. I often wish the attention I give to God would be as steady as the love he gives to me.