Don’t you just love how strongly God can speak to you through his Word? Just this morning – like pretty much any morning – I was reading my Bible and suddenly Numbers 11 reflected back my own attitude.

The riffraff among the people had a craving and soon they had the People of Israel whining, “Why can’t we have meat? We ate fish in Egypt—and got it free!—to say nothing of the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic. But nothing tastes good out here; all we get is manna, manna, manna.” (Numbers 11: 4-6, MSG, emphasis added)

Oh, I was reminded how I had -just last night at the Bible study- complained about this seemingly mundane life. Lord, have mercy!

That’s not typical of me, I have a very sunny outlook on life and base my life on the promises of God. I am also a firm believer of counting our blessings and praising God in all of our circumstances. But here I was reading the Bible, truly busted for complaining about manna in my life. Lord, have mercy!

There’s nothing wrong with manna or my life. There’s nothing wrong with God. It’s me, O God! It’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of forgiveness! Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! Lord, have mercy!

God got angry with his people. The israelites wanted meat and that’s what they got:

“Tell the people, Consecrate yourselves. Get ready for tomorrow when you’re going to eat meat. You’ve been whining to God, ‘We want meat; give us meat. We had a better life in Egypt.’ God has heard your whining and he’s going to give you meat. You’re going to eat meat. And it’s not just for a day that you’ll eat meat, and not two days, or five or ten or twenty, but for a whole month. You’re going to eat meat until it’s coming out your nostrils. You’re going to be so sick of meat that you’ll throw up at the mere mention of it. And here’s why: Because you have rejected God who is right here among you, whining to his face, ‘Oh, why did we ever have to leave Egypt?'” (Numbers 11: 18-20, MSG, emphasis added)

I’ve always imagined hell like this. That in hell you get the thing/things that kept your from worshiping God during your lifetime coming out of your nostrils. Lord, have mercy!

We also reject God who is with us. Time after time. We don’t even think much of it. We don’t even see complaining as a sin against God and his goodness. Lord, have mercy!

But we are called to trust God and his wisdom. The food in Egypt seemed exciting and desirable and the manna seemed mundane and simple. Hence they complained. But the manna was nourishing and good! God knew what they needed in the wilderness. The same way we should trust God in every detail of our lives. Our life might seem mundane and simple. But God is nourishing us and taking care of us.

We can’t see the big picture God is creating out of our lives but we need to trust that there is a reason why there are different seasons in our lives. Moses spent 40 years in wilderness as a shepherd leading a very mundane and simple lifestyle. That time was an essential part of his preparation to successfully guide the israelites through the wilderness to the promised land.

Even when we don’t understand what’s going on…let’s praise the Lord!

After I finished reading Numbers 11 and repenting, I continued my Bible reading now in the Psalms.

In God, whose word I praise,
   in the LORD, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
   What can man do to me?
I am under vows to you, my God;
   I will present my thank offerings to you.
For you have delivered me from death
   and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
   in the light of life.
(Psalm 56:10-13, NIV)

When God is with us….of whom shall we be afraid?
When we repent earnestly, we are forgiven!
Christ delivers us from death and from “meat coming out of our nostrils”.
So that we may walk before God in the light of life!
Let’s praise the Lord!

 

Gracious God,
We come to you repenting our sins.
Forgive us for rejecting you in so many ways.
Burn what needs to be burn.
Renew what needs to be renewed.
Fill us with your Spirit.
May we walk before you in the light of life.
May we reflect your goodness all of our days.
We thank you for your loving-kindness!
We praise you forever and ever!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: Have you caught yourself complaining of same old, same old?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you embrace the attitude of gratitude in all areas of your life!

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Linking up today with It’s Not About Me November, Thought-Provoking Thursdays&

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