– Exodus 16
Will You Pass the Test?
God hears our prayers. He listens, and He considers, and He knows just what to do in order to bring us closer to Him (which in turn, will be the solution to our problems). The great thing is that He finds creative ways to test us – to see if we're really in-tune, to find out where our heart is. In this case, God heard the grumbling and complaining of the Israelites who were running out of food and longing for those "glorious" days of bondage and slavery, when their bellies were satisfied (even though their backs were striped from the taskmasters whip). So God, being the Creative Creator He is, picked out the perfect test for these whining people – He would supply them with enough food each day so that no one would be able to complain about being hungry again. It's a good deal right? Hmmmm.
So as it turns out, for 40 long years, God supplies enough quail meat and honey crackers for each person – every day, every morning, every evening, the same meal . . . . . . . for forty . . . . . long. . . . . monotonous . . . . . chicken & crackers . . . . . . years.
It was a blessing to be sure, but more than that, it was a test. You see God had a plan. A plan of success and blessing; a plan to prosper – to lift up, to make these people His people, and to let them see, and feel, and know of His Glory, and His Love, and His Forgiveness and Grace. He needed them to know that He was in this for the long haul. He would be patient and He would work things out for them, and even though the ones who started out on this long journey would never realize the fullness of His promise, their children, and their children's children would experience the fullness of God.
So when you cry out to God; when you need His help and you pray in earnest, know that He hears you, and understand that He has a plan to supply you with the strength and the means to get through it. But at the same time you need to be prepared, because His provision will come with a test. A test to see how much you really trust Him; how much you really believe in Him; how much you are willing to sacrifice the things that this world has to offer you in order to really press in to Him. He wants you . . . He wants us, to seek Him above all other things, with every fiber of our being, and as we do, He will be there giving us the strength we need to do it; to pass the tests each and every day; to learn how to love, and to forgive, and to see people as He sees them, with love, and compassion, and joy.
If we can learn to appreciate the testing, then one day we'll look up, and we will find ourselves on the other side of our problem. The testing will be over (for now). The promise will be realized, and our relationship with the Living God will be stronger than ever, and we will be able to face things we never could before. We will be champions of the faith . . . a faith in The Strong God . . . who Loves us so very much.
Prayer
Father, I thank You for the times of testing because I know that it's in those times that You have put together a creative solution. Help me to stand strong and to be faithful during those times. Help me to see beyond my immediate need and to seek You with all that I am. Help me to find myself victorious on the other side of my problems as I press in to get to know You.
Have a blessed day everyone!
– Richard
No comments:
Post a Comment