Monday 14 Jul 2014

July 14: Psalm 78:12-20

Key Verse: Psalm 78:18
And they tested God in their heart by asking for the food of their fancy.

Devotion:
How do you see the power and might of our Lord? Do you see it as a way in which He can and does bless you with all sorts of fancy things? Do you constantly ask God to bless you so that you can be happy in your life? Do you ask God to supply you so that your life can be good? Are you going about asking God in the right manner for the right manna?

When God supplied the children of Israel with manna in the desert it was not a feast laid out on a table with all the trimmings; it was a supply of the basic essentials that were rich in all that was required for them to live in the desert without other provisions. We seem to think that we do need all manner of fancy things in our lives so that we can live for God and work for Him. In reality we actually need very little but we continue to crave for more. God has shown us in the past that we can survive on very little when we do depend on Him. God continues to supply our needs when we do rely on Him… But we still expect for more and ask over and above that which He supplies.

Is it wrong to ask for things? No! Is it wrong to ask for help? No! Does God want us to ask? Yes! But we must realise that we do not need all the trimmings in life in order to survive and work for and with God. Those may be the things that make us happy and those may well be some of the things that he supplies in our lives to make us happy, but we do not require them!

God has continued to show us throughout history that we can survive on what he supplies when we ask. God has continued to show that we can live together by sharing what we have. God gives us the wisdom so that we know this and that we can work together. We choose not to because we want things over and above our needs. It is the way we are and it is what God wants us to see. If we are able to stand back and look at the way we are, we should be able to recognise that God is in control and that we can live a very different life when we live for Him.

Points to Ponder:
Do you focus on what you want or what God wants?

Will you trust Him?