And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.” (Exodus 16:8)
The above quote comes from the journey in the wilderness as the Israelites left Egypt and spend 40 years wandering their way toward what would become Israel. In the desert, where there is little food and water, God has provided for them to have what they need. God has rained bread (manna) from heaven for them to eat. When they tired of this (which did not make God happy), God has overwhelmed them with quail (which they eventually grumbled about as well).
As human beings, we have the tendency to feel entitled to what we have. Society blames the poor for this, but actually the more we have the more we defend it as “ours.” We need only look in our closets, basements or garages to know that even if we feel like we are struggling in some ways, in other ways we have enough and even too much. Are we satisfied? Are we thankful? Are we gracious as a result?
God’s desire for us is that all of us have enough and are thankful for what we have. When we have received – we are to give thanks. When we receive more than enough – we are to be generous.
The God who gave manna and quail in the wilderness would eventually come to give us everything in Jesus. In Christ we are claimed and transformed from the grumbling, entitled people we may often be into the life-giving and gracious people who continue the work of Jesus.
Look around you at all God is doing! Where there is brokenness and pain (like we see after mass shootings, storms and earthquakes) see how God is working in the midst of struggle to provide manna and quail in our time. And pray and respond about how God can use you who have received life to share life.
