Reading Plan: We Need Reminded - Lessons From The Wilderness
Devotional: 2 of 3

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.” Exodus 16:4 ESV

We are in a three-week reading plan exploring three of God’s truths that we need to be reminded of in today’s culture. Last week we dug deep into the first of these three truths about God; the idea that God can be trusted yesterday, today, and forever. Today, we will look closer at our second truth; God has a plan and purpose for our lives.

Before the Israelites could fully experience the miraculous provision of God, they needed to be reminded of who it was that had saved them from the host of Egypt. They needed to be reminded that God had not forgotten or abandoned them. Exodus 16:6-7 says, “So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord.” The bread that would rain down from heaven in the morning was not just about providing for their hunger, but it was also a reminder of God’s glory.

The Lord hears the Israelites’ cry for help and responds with a plan that both provides for their physical needs and gives them daily opportunities to test their trust in His provision, living by faith in the goodness of God. “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat.” (Exodus 16:16) God’s instructions are clear. For six days, He gives them bread in the morning and meat in the evening. “Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.”” (Exodus 16:18-19) Anything leftover from what they gathered for one day would spoil the next morning. Each day, God’s people had two choices: trust by faith that God again and again would provide food for the next day or take back control of their circumstances from God by keeping extra food for the next day.

God has a plan and purpose for each of our lives as well! Like the Israelites, is it possible that we need to be reminded of how God has saved us from our own sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Is it also possible that we need to be reminded of how God has, time and time again, provided for our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs? Furthermore, is it possible that before we can fully experience the plans that God has for us, like the Israelites, we need to be reminded what the purpose of our lives is - to bring glory and honor to God? Next week we will bring this three-part reading plan to a close as we look closer at the third truth about God that we are exploring together; that He offers us rest through the free gift of the Sabbath.

About the Author

Nathan Miller

You may know me as a husband, father, son, brother, friend, mentor, ultra marathoner runner, NBA basketball enthusiast, fan of all things tech, music lover and writer. However, the life blood that flows through everything that I strive to be comes from a desire for greater intimacy with Jesus Christ. He is my Savior, my Provider, my Lord and most of all my best friend.