Receiving God’s Abundance
SCRIPTURE READING — EXODUS 16:1-16, 31-32
That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning. . . . thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.
— Exodus 16:13-14
Do you remember the shortages that people faced during the COVID-19 pandemic? In some areas, it seemed there was no yeast or bread to be found. Supply chains were interrupted, and it was difficult for many people to find some basic things that they needed.
The Israelites faced a scarcity of food in the desert, and they complained bitterly to Moses and Aaron. But there was a problem with the people’s perspective. They didn’t trust God, who had shown his great power by freeing them from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12-14). Their cravings, and their confused memories, left them short-sighted and unhappy—and they began to say they were better off in Egypt!
Nevertheless, God provided for them by giving them meat every evening and “bread from heaven” every morning. That very evening, “quail came and covered the camp,” and the people ate heartily. And in the morning they found flakes on the ground that they could eat and make into bread. They called it manna. But it wasn’t long before the people were grumbling and complaining again.
How humbling it can be to realize that we often do the same: we get focused on something that we think we need in order to be happy, and we overlook the goodness that God is already pouring into our lives each day.
Lord, forgive us for letting our cravings get the best of us. Help us to be content, knowing that every good gift we receive is from you. Amen.
Living With Intention
SCRIPTURE READING — LEVITICUS 11:13-19
“These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean. . . .”
— Leviticus 11:13
Every culture has its list of food preferences. Most of us tend to elevate certain foods over others, depending on what’s familiar to us, what agrees with us, and what we like and don’t like.
In Old Testament Israel, however, living according to food laws was not a matter of preference. The law stated that certain birds and other animals were unclean. So, as a way to live holy lives, the people were required to avoid those animals and not eat them. The food laws seemed to honor principles about life and death, suggesting that God was putting in place a way for his people to flourish.
When Jesus Christ brought about the new covenant, the old food laws were no longer required. In Acts 10, for example, we read of Peter having a vision in which God tells him that “all kinds of four-footed animals, including reptiles and birds,” were now considered clean! In this way God urged his people to spread the good news of Jesus to all other nations. People of other nations regularly ate those kinds of animals, and God did not want his people thinking that other peoples were unclean or unworthy of being saved through Jesus.
Today we are still called to be holy (set apart), living with intention as God’s people. Rather than following rules about food, we are invited to live for our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, by loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Lord, please give us the wisdom to live intentionally for you. Amen.
Caring for the Vulnerable
SCRIPTURE READING — DEUTERONOMY 22:6-7
If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young.
— Deuteronomy 22:6
While walking near a lake one day, our family discovered a camouflaged nest of eggs that a killdeer, a small shorebird, had laid in the ground. It was breathtakingly beautiful, but it was also unprotected and exposed among the rocks.
Among the many Old Testament guidelines for holy living, some instructions in Deuteronomy told God’s people what to do if they found such a nest. At that time it was considered okay to take the eggs or the young hatchlings, but it was not acceptable to harm the bird that laid them. That was a simple principle of conservation: if the eggs are taken, the bird can lay more eggs, but if the mother bird is taken or destroyed, she can’t produce any more. In times of hunger, it might have been tempting to take both the bird and the eggs, but the prevailing wisdom cautioned people to use restraint, even if they were desperate.
These instructions aren’t only about conservation, though. We can trust that if God cares for birds, he cares far more about us, whom he made in his image. Jesus made this clear when he said to his followers, “Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31). He was explaining God’s care for them when they were threatened by enemies. Similarly, God cares for you, body and soul, when you feel exposed and in danger.
Lord, thank you for protecting us when we are weak. Help us also to protect those that are vulnerable. Amen.
Being Carried Aloft
SCRIPTURE READING — DEUTERONOMY 32:1-12
He shielded him and cared for him . . . like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft.
— Deuteronomy 32:10-11
Not long ago, I realized that I hadn’t been invited to something that I would have liked to have participated in. It was surprising to feel excluded and forgotten. I wondered why I had been left out, but I was too embarrassed to ask, so I assumed there must have been a reason for it. In that weak moment, it was hard not to draw the conclusion that I had been excluded on purpose. At times when we might feel insecure or unwanted, it is natural to feel hurt and alone. Feelings of isolation can create an ache in our hearts and a tiredness in our bones. We yearn for friendship and understanding. Ironically, when we feel that way, it can be hard to connect with others even if they do reach out to us—because we’ve begun to feel out of touch and unwanted.
Humanly speaking, there might not be anyone who can truly care for us in the way that we need to be cared for. Our hurts can sometimes be too deep for words to express. What we need is to be held and carried up over our troubled situations.
Our Lord and Savior is the only one who can truly do that. God sees us, knows what we need, and comes to save us. He scoops us up and carries us when we are not capable of flying ourselves.
Lord Jesus, we can’t thank you enough for your care for us. When we feel hurt and alone, it is the greatest comfort to know that you guard us as the apple of your eye. We love you and pray in your name. Amen.
