Exodus 16:3 - "If
only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt," they moaned. "There we
sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you
have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death."
God had promised the Israelites
that He would free them from slavery and deliver them to the Promised Land, a
land filled with milk and honey. On paper that sounds great. Notice how He
didn't give them the road map ahead of time?
So here they are, one
month into the journey. Thirty short days. Where is this Promised Land
anyway? I'm ready for milk and honey. My feet are tired and if I have to sleep
one more night on the ground my back is going to rebel. On and on and on,
complaint after complaint. So God answers. In verse four we read, "Look,
I'm going to rain down food from heaven for you."
Rock on. Turkey with all
the fixings - stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, pumpkin pie. Or, maybe
steak and baked potatoes. I'd even settle for a Big Mac! Whatever was
coming...and I know that I'd build it up in my head...the King of the Universe,
who has chosen my people to make into a nation, is going to provide in a
miraculous way (think about the Red Sea, the Angel of Death, frogs, gnats,
hail). Clearly this is a God who knows how to do it right. It's going to be
awwwesommme!
The next day comes and
what do we get...wings and crackers. You heard it right. Wings and crackers.
Really God? Not even peanut butter for those Ritz crackers?
Have you ever wondered
why God seems to under deliver? Don't get me wrong, a miracle is a miracle. But
if we've been promised the Promised Land, why not turkey instead of hot wings?
Why not an instantly healed marriage instead of one you have to keep working
at? Why not a job we love instead of a crazy boss who steals all our joy? Why
not a million bucks instead of just enough to pay the mortgage? A BMW instead
of a Yugo?
Maybe it's because God
knows our tendency to slide toward the comfortable. If we got turkey in the
desert we'd never want to leave the desert. Like the Israelites we'd forget
that freedom with crackers is better than slavery with a big ole' slab of meat.
We'd forget that we're on His journey, not our own. His care for us keeps us
longing for our arrival at the Promised Land.
So the next time you're
tempted to complain that God hasn't pushed the easy button and given you what
you want, remember that He's given you what you need; which is just enough to
remind you tomorrow that what you need is Him!
