God is faithful. That’s common knowledge, right? Were someone to ask you whether or not that was true, you’d agree without question (I hope!). The problem is sometimes we get blazé about some of the fundamentals of God’s character because we hear about them so often.
Let’s go on a little trip to Exodus 16. It’s a great story that teaches us loads about God’s faithfulness and what it looks like.
First things first, read the chapter.
So the Israelites are in a situation. The Lord has rescued them from Egypt and brought them across the Red Sea, but they’re grumbling – they’re in need of food and have no way to get it for themselves. Let’s see what happens…
For me, there are seven key lessons to learn from this little episode. We’ll look at the first three in this post.
1. God meets a need with a promise.
He responds to the Israelites requests like this (verse 3): “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day.“
A promise from God is a guarantee. His word was powerful enough to create the whole universe. So if he says something to you it’s going to happen. Have a need in your life? Get a promise from the Lord and claim it. Matthew 6 is a good place to start.
2. God wants us to seek him before we seek what he can give us.
In verse 10 we read how before providing food, God reveals his glory. Ultimately that’s the more valuable thing!
“And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the Lord in the cloud.“
Also, this acts of a visual reassurance of God’s presence, and so would have increased the Israelites’s faith that he would come through on his promise.
3. God often provides in ways that we don’t expect…
verse 16: “The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was.“
So many times we miss what God is doing in our lives because it doesn’t happen in the way we think it might/should. Remember: God’s way are higher than our ways, and his thoughts far above ours! (Isaiah 55:9)
…but He always provides exactly in the ways that we need.
verse 18: “But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.“
So don’t worry! God knows you far better than you know yourself. And he’s a good Dad who gives good gifts to his kids. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been unnecessarily worried about something and God has provided out of the blue. We just need to trust him!
Let those things sink in a moment and check back soon for part 2!
