The passage from part one of today’s journey comes from Exodus 16.
Exodus 16:3 says, “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”
Let’s get this straight. The Israelites, who were delivered from slavery, were complaining and asking to go back to the land of the enslaved? That doesn't make much sense, but because they were hungry and could only remember the delicious food they feasted on and not the oppression from which they were delivered, they couldn't see past their current desires. They wanted immediate deliverance and they didn’t understand why God wasn’t granting them instant gratification.
God was not fazed by their ungratefulness, though. Instead he continued to test them (v. 11-12): “Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the Israelites’ complaints. Now tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”
The rest of this chapter is great. It goes on to explain God’s provision, the way He provided food but gave specific commands on how to obtain and retain it. This teaches us that God will always provide what we need, but we have to do some work on our part, too. And a lot of times this work falls into prayer and obedience.
The Lord kept His promise to the Israelites, even when they complained against Him and failed to follow His instructions. He will do the same for us.
What has God delivered you from, that you are contemplating going back to because things aren’t going as you think they should?
How is God testing you today?
How are you going to respond…with grumbling about your circumstances or praise for your situation?
Don’t forget to check out the Application section, as well as the Reflect and Respond parts of your journals for today.
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