Exodus 16

In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭16‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Israelites were grumbling and complaining because they were hungry.  When we need something, God wants us to pray for it, and He promises that He will provide what we need.  When we pray instead of grumble and complain, it shows that we trust God.  He will take care of our needs, and also provide inner peace for us despite our circumstances.  He cares for us and wants us to give our worries and troubles to Him to handle (see 1 Peter 5:7).  In the book of Hebrews God warns us to not be like the Israelites:  “That is why the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested Me in the wilderness. There your ancestors tested and tried My patience, even though they saw My miracles for forty years. So I was angry with them, and I said, ‘Their hearts always turn away from Me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’  So in My anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter My place of rest.’ … For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.” (Hebrews 3:7-11,14).

That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’” The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed. Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Israelites were given enough manna to allow them to survive one day at a time.  In the same way, God gives us enough grace to get through one day at a time.  Therefore, we should not fret and have anxiety about what is going to happen tomorrow.  When tomorrow comes, God will give us what we need physically and spiritually.  Jesus knew this principle when He taught His disciples to pray in Matthew 6:11, saying, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  Most of us in America are blessed so that we never have to worry about whether we will have enough to eat.  But we do frequently worry about many things, such as how we will handle the stress of our busy schedules and how we are going to find the money to pay our bills.  Have faith that He will give us the grace, strength and provision to get through whatever comes our way each day.  When we worry about tomorrow, we waste today.  We need to trust Him.  Trusting God may mean that we will have unanswered questions about what is going to happen.  God’s ways may not coincide with our plans and timelines, but remember that His ways are always best.  As we learn to follow God’s ways and wholeheartedly trust Him, we will be able to more fully enjoy our lives and experience the blessings that God has in store for us.