September 26th

When Excess Is Too Much

Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained...Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.' Exodus 16:2-3

I think you're stretching things a bit. Have you ever said that to someone? They tell you some story, and the details just don't add up.

That's what was happening in our verses for today. Moses had led the people of Israel out of Egypt, where they had been slaves for four hundred years. He led them to a beautiful place fit for a resort vacation and they stayed there for a while. Then, a month and a half into their new-found freedom, they complained, saying it would have been better to die in Egypt. And not just that, but they talked about Egypt as though it had been wonderful!

Oh, our bellies were full! We sat by the pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted! It was just all-you-can-eat buffets every day! That was the life! they said.

But you know what; they were stretching it a bit. They forgot to mention the whips, the chains, the unbearable quotas of bricks, the early wake-ups and long hours in the hot equatorial Egyptian sun, and the murderous genocide carried out against them there. I think they were stretching their last memory of Egypt-the Passover dinner-into their whole memory of Egypt.

How many times do we do the same thing? When we get stretched spiritually in our journey of faith with the Lord, do we begin to exaggerate how great life was before this stretching season of our faith was brought on?

Here's the part that really gets me-that Israel actually accused God and Moses of bringing them into the wilderness to kill them. Sure, right. Like I can really believe that one. I mean, if they were stretching it a bit when talking about Egypt, this just stretches things to the breaking point. They actually thought that the God who gave them freedom maliciously had plans to kill them as soon as Egypt was out of sight.

God's plan for Israel was the Promised Land. It just so happens that He had to take them through the wilderness to get there. Ask yourself right now, what are God's plans for you? Where is He taking you? Then consider that, just maybe, if you don't like the stretching season you're in right now, it's not God's plan to leave you there till you die. It's His plan to lead you through it and into all that He has promised.

Prayer Father God,

Thank You that You have good plans for me! I'm sorry for any way that I have complained about the season that I am in right now. I choose to follow and trust that You will lead me into all that You have promised!

Amen