February 6-Pamela

Today's passage from the One-Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Exodus 16-19

Scripture: (2 that stood out for me)

Exodus 16:15b-20

Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. ¹⁶ This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.' "

¹⁷ The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. ¹⁸ And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed.

¹⁹ Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning."

²⁰ 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.

and also

Exodus 18:17-18

17 Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.

Observations: The Lord will meet all of our needs. He will provide for us. He has a plan for us and we need to trust Him. It is not God's plan to have us do it all by ourselves. It is His plan for us to rely on Him.


Application: In our lives, we often fall short of fully trusting God to meet our needs. Even as the Israelites walked on dry land in the Red Sea to escape Pharaoh, they did not believe that God would provide them with all that they needed. In fact, they were whiny and demanding and outright rude saying that they were better off in Egypt. Yet, God granted their desires and met their needs. Many of them still did not trust in Him and chose to disobey the instructions to not keep any of the food until morning. How it must have broke God's heart to see His people doubt Him again and again....and even today, things have not changed.

I think it is our desire to give ourselves fully to trusting God, but our human nature that compels us to doubt. In my own life, God has revealed to me time and time again that He is in control. I try to let go and give myself fully to trusting His plan but there is a part of me that holds back and worries about what is to come. Just like the food that is held overnight goes rotten, my worries and fears can make my life stink. This is not the example that I want to live and share with others. It is not the example I want to give to my children. I think of the message that storing the food overnight sent to the children of those families. "I know Moses says that God will provide but just in case we are going to collect more food than we need..." I want my own children to have a different example of my faith in God's plan and ability to take care of our needs.

The other verses that stood out for me were just a good reminder that we are to share with others. I think we all can become overwhelmed sometimes. (This week has been a doozy for me personally). We need to learn to share our burdens to lighten the load. God never intended for us to do it all by ourselves. He wants to come along side us to meet all of our needs. The load life throws at us can be heavy sometimes and without support we can collapse under the weight of it. We are not alone. I think this passage reminds us about the importance of Christian friends and allowing them to support us in times of need. When Moses spread out his difficult load, he was able to be more effective in the role God had for him. In the same way, I believe when we bring our concerns to others and have them support us in prayer or in actions, we become more effective in God's plan for us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are such a merciful God. We thank you for being patient with us as we strive to put our trust in You. You are the One who meets all our needs. You hear our prayers and you know our hearts. We often fall short of Your desire and yet you continue to work in us despite our flaws. Thank you. Lord, it is not Your plan for us to feel alone. Help us to rely on You and also on our brothers and sisters to support each other in prayer and to draw us closer to You. Continue to work in each of us according to the plan You have set for us. Amen.

Tomorrow's reading are Exodus 20:1-22:15.