Thursday 26 Jun 2014

June 26: Exodus 16:2-9

Key Verse: Exodus 16:8
Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.”

Devotion:
I don’t think I would have liked to have been Moses or Aaron back in the days of the exodus from Egypt; not because of the fact that they were walking through the desert but because of all the moaning and grumbling. If there is one thing that will get many people down in the church it is the moaning and grumbling of one or two people! That seems to soak through the whole church and will often lead to discontent. If not faced up to it may even start splitting the church apart…

The moaning of a few people must have spread quickly through the Israelite camp because it was not long before it was heard by Moses and Aaron and that made them feel bad as well. Not so much because of the grief that it brought to their own ears but because of what it meant to them. They were there because of God. God had promised a lot and they had given those promises to the people and yet those same people that had accepted the word were now the ones coming forward and complaining to them, in front of God!

I despair at how some people complain without thinking about the consequences of their own actions. I despair at how some people will make a show of their complaints in front of the very people they are complaining about. It is one thing to complain and make your feelings know, but to do so without regard for others does get me down. (end of rant)

God is always watching over us and He does see the hardships we face. He does hear us when we lift up those hardships to Him and ask Him for relief. If we are not getting the relief then there is a good reason why it should not happen – and don’t think that it is because you don’t believe enough or because you don’t have enough faith otherwise that will get you down even more. It is because God knows what is best in our lives and He is working on a plan. Trust Him and believe Him. He has promised and He always keeps His promises!

Points to Ponder:
Do you trust God?

Have you given up waiting?