Do we trust his provision?

I had the opportunity this week to read through the account of God delivering the Israelites from their Egyptian overlords and what happened after their deliverance. One thing caught my attention quickly - how much they complained about what God was doing. They complained as they faced the Red Sea. They launched another complaint when they came across the bitter waters in the region of Marah. Even after God performed miracles to redeem them from their captors and take care of their basic need for potable water, they still found reason to complain when their bellies were empty! I don't know about you, but when God does something 'big' in my life, it makes me sit up and take notice. When he does something 'small' in my life, I might miss it until I see a bunch of 'small' things mount up to a 'big' thing, but I eventually find the opportunity to acknowledge what he has done. God isn't always going to work in the 'big' ways in our lives, but he will faithfully work in the 'small' details, arranging them so we are in the right place, at the right time, and with his presence around us. The hope is that we will have the right attitude toward what he has done and trust him for what he is continuing to do!

Then all the Israelites left Elim. They reached the western Sinai desert, between Elim and Mount Sinai, on the 15th day of the second month after leaving Egypt. Then the whole community of Israelites began complaining again. They complained to Moses and Aaron in the desert. They said, “It would have been better if the Lord had just killed us in the land of Egypt. At least there we had plenty to eat. We had all the food we needed. But now you have brought us out here into this desert to make us all die from hunger.” (Exodus 16:1-3)

Waters piled high so they could escape their enemies on dry ground - big intervention. Waters swallowed every soldier in pursuit of them - big intervention. Bad waters turned to fresh, drinkable water - big intervention. Fire by night, pillar of smoke by day to guide them - big intervention. Empty bellies and feeling a bit too 'hangry' and they seem to be clueless as to the provision God has ALREADY made, much less the one he is about to make. Is it possible for God to NOT know our needs? No! So, why would they complain when their bellies rumbled, and they didn't 'see' food around them? Human nature, I guess. Does God hear their complaints and say, "Well, I am done with you bunch of ungrateful people"? No, he sends manna and quail - enough to each and every member of the group, until their bellies were full. He sends instructions to take only what they could eat in one day, no more. Did they do it? Nope! Some were greedy and perhaps a little 'untrusting' of God's provision, so they took more than they needed for the day, only to find it full of worms and with a foul smell when they went back to it.

Sin is a bit like that foul smelling manna - worm-filled and sour smelling. It leaves whatever it touches 'unusable' due to the 'decaying' state it creates. Sin has a way of 'proliferating' - almost unnoticed. Get outside of God's will and the 'proliferation' of those compromises isn't far behind. Why? Sin has a way of causing us to be very self-focused and self-determined. Whenever 'self' takes the lead and demands its own way, compromise is sure to come. What amazes me is that God allowed the gathering of twice as much manna as they needed on the day prior to the Sabbath, so they wouldn't have to gather it on the Sabbath - but it did not get wormy or spoil. Whenever we are living within God's will, his provision is certain, and we need not worry. The 'proliferation' of sin isn't going to happen when we remain within his will. Step outside of it in our pride or greed, and what comes will bring nothing more than putrid decay into our lives. The 'big' or 'small' interventions of God are all the result of his care over our lives. We are called to remain faithful to do his will, no matter what. Just sayin!