Loving God bless and protect the life and needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Exodus 16: 2 The whole company of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron there in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said, "Why didn't God let us die in comfort in Egypt where we had lamb stew and all the bread we could eat? You've brought us out into this wilderness to starve us to death, the whole company of Israel!" 4 God said to Moses, "I'm going to rain bread down from the skies for you. The people will go out and gather each day's ration. I'm going to test them to see if they'll live according to my Teaching or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they have gathered, it will turn out to be twice as much as their daily ration." 6 Moses and Aaron told the People of Israel, "This evening you will know that it is God who brought you out of Egypt; 7 and in the morning you will see the Glory of God. Yes, he's listened to your complaints against him. You haven't been complaining against us, you know, but against God." 8 Moses said, "Since it will be God who gives you meat for your meal in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, it's God who will have listened to your complaints against him. Who are we in all this? You haven't been complaining to us - you've been complaining to God!" 9 Moses instructed Aaron: "Tell the whole company of Israel: 'Come near to God. He's heard your complaints.'" 10 When Aaron gave out the instructions to the whole company of Israel, they turned to face the wilderness. And there it was: the Glory of God visible in the Cloud. 11 God spoke to Moses, 12 "I've listened to the complaints of the Israelites. Now tell them: 'At dusk you will eat meat and at dawn you'll eat your fill of bread; and you'll realize that I am God, your God.'" 13 That evening quail flew in and covered the camp and in the morning there was a layer of dew all over the camp. 14 When the layer of dew had lifted, there on the wilderness ground was a fine flaky something, fine as frost on the ground. 15 The Israelites took one look and said to one another, man-hu (What is it?). They had no idea what it was. (The Message)
You've been there and one that. You've been both the complainer and the complained against. How often, though, have you complained against God? I know, you didn't mean or even think it was God against Whom you were lifting up your complaints. It was the Sunday school teacher, or choir director, or finance committee chair, or the pastor - not God! Pastor Moses had a difficult congregation. They had a short memory of where they had been and what they had been through. He could give them credit for remembering the high points of any otherwise miserable existence. But how they forgot they had been slaves, owned by another human being and driven past the point of exhaustion daily, I don't know. How they could forget their children had been killed had they been born male, I don't know. What they did remember was they had meat to eat! Hey, isn't everything made better with meat? Forget freedom, you had hot dogs! Slavery was fine with fajitas! Okay, there was a lot of walking. And with old people going too slow and the kids running wild and loose. One minute you're tugging at Grandma to help her along, then your grandchild zooms past you like a gazelle and your son hollers for you to go catch him! Then God responds with love and in ways you notice that you do matter after all, and you have not been abandoned or unloved as you first thought.
We have complained against God and we have then seen God answer our complaints (if we've had our eyes and ears open); but what have we done about it? Have we spent enough time talking with God about our complaints and the targets of those complaints, asking perhaps for a new perspective? Or, is it more fun talking to other complainers about where we find ourselves? The truth is the more time we spend talking to God who sits on the throne than to gossips on the phone, the better the outcome will be. Shouldn't we go to the Throne rather than the phone?
PRAYER: Loving God, this hits hard, knowing that I have really been complaining about You. Forgive me for those times and help me have a more positive attitude about where I am and what I am to do. Help me to serve You in all things and in all ways. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
