Every morning when my boys wake up, they get to watch a morning educational show while we get them breakfast. While we are in the midst of preparing the morning meal, my youngest will come in and ask if it is time for breakfast yet because his tummy is hungry. We gently tell him that we are still making it and it will be ready just as soon as their show is done. That never satisfies him. He wants breakfast, and he wants it now. He acts as if he is almost afraid that there is not enough food to feed his hunger, and that we won't take care of his need. Of course, that is completely silly. As his parents, we will always make sure that he has enough to eat and to take care of him. But his pressing need clouds his mind and he forgets that we love him and will always provide for him.
"Give us today our daily bread." (Matthew 6:11)
Right now, I am doing a study about the Israelites in the desert. After grumbling because they "missed" their life back in Egypt, God hears them and sends them down manna, or bread, from heaven. He gives them just enough for the day... if they gather too much, it rots and fills with maggots. Each morning they awake and there covering the ground like dew is the manna. After time goes on, God asks that the Israelites give an offering back to him if their hearts lead them to do so. They begin to give and give and give... so much so that Moses has to ask them to stop because they have more than enough. More than enough... from people who have nothing and are wandering in the desert and are dependent on God for everything. And they give!
"I am the bread of life, He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty" (John 6:35)
It brings up the question, why am I not giving the way that God may be leading me to do so? I find myself and my family in a time where we are just like the Israelites... God is providing us just enough manna for today. The problem is that it leads me into fears about tomorrow. When you have a family to provide for, young children to take care of, this obviously amps up those concerns and worries. "What if there isn't enough?" "What if God doesn't come through?" "What if there is no manna tomorrow when I awake?" The thing that is hard for us is that we love stability. We love to know that we are taken care of and that we won't have to struggle. It is so hard to completely trust and believe that our manna will be there. It is hard for me to completely let go and trust.
"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." (Philippians 4:6-7 from The Message)
In my devotion from yesterday morning from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, it says, "Trust me and don't be afraid, for I am your Strength and Song. Think what it means to have Me as your Strength. .... Instead of trying to fight your fears, concentrate on trusting Me." How powerful it is to have God as our strength. Forgive me Lord for my untrust... help me to trust you more and let go of my fears. Help me to remember that You are the Bread of Life and will provide for me every day.
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