“Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed, “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’” The Israelites were constantly underestimating the power of God. Even Moses, who had seen God on Mount Sinai and talked with God face to face, thought, “There’s no way God could possibly provide that much meat for this many people for a whole 30 days.” Isn’t that such an insane thing to think, though? How could it be too much for the Creator of the Universe, who is all-powerful and set billions upon billions of galaxies and their intricate details in motion, to provide meat for 600,000-ish men (not including women)? God created more than 350,000,000,000 galaxies (which is still a controversial estimate according to Francis Chan in his book, Crazy Love). Look at how many more zeros are in the number of galaxies than the number of those men. That’s roughly 583,000 galaxies per Israelite male. Which is easier to sustain? One small, tiny human or about 583,000 galaxies? So I’ll ask you, reader: what has God promised you in your life that you underestimate He can provide? I was recently talking with a friend who is struggling financially. She couldn’t register for classes because there was a hold on her account from an amount too high for her to pay. She prayed about it, and God provided. The amount was almost instantly pushed to next semester so she could register. God worked an amazing miracle in her life. But then she went on to say, “I still struggle with anxiety over my finances though. He can provide miracles like that, but He can’t make my stress go away completely.” I didn’t consider it until later, but in that moment she sounded a lot like Moses—not questioning God’s ability to provide, but questioning His ability to provide abundantly. Sure, it would’ve been easy for God to provide meat for the Israelites, but He promised so much meat that they would be sick of it—not just for one day, but for a whole month. That’s when Moses began to question Him. Similarly, it’s easy for God to provide a financial miracle for my friend here and there, every once in awhile, but He promises so much more than that. Is the Lord’s arm too short to make her stress go away completely? She’s still going to have to pay her finances of course, but why worry? “Worry implies that we don’t quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what’s happening in our lives.” - Francis Chan, Crazy Love “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 God promises peace that transcends understanding. I myself have experienced this. I’ve struggled a lot with loneliness the past few months after losing my boyfriend and the close friendships that encircled him. Oftentimes I am brought to tears upon the realization that I don’t have close friends around me to whom I can confide in during the moments I need them most. But I have God. And countless times, in the midst of my tears, He has grabbed hold of me and said, “You have all you need in Me.” Is His arm too short to provide me more than the comfort of a close friend in person? Of course not! There is no greater love than His. “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” Numbers 23:19 Cling to the promises of God—promises to never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 28:20, Isaiah 41:10, Deuteronomy 31:6,8) and to give you His peace (John 14:27, Philippians 4:6-7). Promises to provide all that you need as He clothes the flowers and feeds the birds (Matthew 6:25-34) and to heal the brokenhearted (Psalm 147:3). God will fulfill His promises.
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AuthorFighting complacency and advocating change in myself for the world around me. Posts by Date
February 2019
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