-January 21, 2022-
Good morning, happy Friday,
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord.’”
(Exodus 16:11).
The Lord delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt and parted the Red Sea so they passed through on dry ground. He then brought the waters back so that Pharaoh and his whole army perished in the sea. The parting of the Red Sea is one of the greatest miracles in all the Bible. But now, the people, appropriately two million, were hungry and thirsty. Instead of asking the Lord for His provision, they began to complain.
The Lord was not pleased by their complaints against Him and Moses. All through their journey to the Promised Land, they complained, rebelled, and disobeyed the Lord. In fact, because of their unbelief and complaints, the Lord had them trudge through the wilderness for forty years, a journey that should have taken only eleven days. The number forty in the Bible is the number of testing and probation. He tested them over and over. All the adults who left Egypt died, and only Joshua and Caleb, along with all the children entered the land of Canaan.
It hurts the Lord’s heart when we complain. It shows a lack of faith, trust, and reliance on Him. God saved us and He takes care of us. The Lord promised Israel both meat, quail to eat, and bread, manna from heaven. Later on two different occasions, He provided them with water from a rock. The Scriptures tell us that their sandals and clothing never wore out during the whole forty years. God is so good and faithful to His people.
So often we complain and don’t thank the Lord for all His blessings. We take them lightly and or for granted, while finding small thing to complain about. When we are thankful and content, we are happy and God is pleased. But when we ask why things happened to us and complain, our lives are brought low and God is not happy with us.
God not only hears our words of complaint, He hears the thoughts of our hearts and minds. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:14-15, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.” There is no much complaining and sadly in the church.
Have a blessed day and weekend, thanking the Lord for everything and not complaining. Stay safe and healthy.
In His faithfulness,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 