Rhythm Of Trust
NEW 3 WEEK READING PLAN
Today we begin a three-week reading plan based on chapter 16 in the book of Exodus. In today’s uncertain, self-focused, and overextended world, we need to be reminded of God’s ways now more than ever. This reading plan will look closer at the Israelites’ story as they wandered in the wilderness after God rescued them from the hand of the Egyptians. Their journey reveals to us three core truths about God; that He can still be trusted, that He has a plan for our lives and that He offers us a free gift of the Sabbath. Let’s explore their story together, allowing God to remind us of His ways.
Reading Plan: We Need Reminded - Lessons From The Wilderness
Devotional: 1 of 3
“And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:2-3 ESV
Chapter 16 begins with God’s people mumbling and complaining under their breath against Moses and Aaron with every step they took. The Israelites were hungry and desperate, and it had been weeks since God had delivered them from the hand of the Egyptians. At this point, the Israelites were beginning to lose their trust in God to provide. It had gotten so bad that they cried out to their leaders, saying, “Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up.” (Numbers 11:4-6) Contrary to what we might think, the Egyptians were known for keeping their forced labor (the Israelites) well-fed. This memory of their past abundance in Egypt makes their current lack of food that much more painful.
Oh, how quickly the Israelites had forgotten the mighty hand of God’s deliverance. Plague after plague sent to change the mind of a cruel Pharaoh. Blood on a doorpost is a sign of God’s protection. In a final climactic scene, the Israelites would plunder the Egyptians of their gold and silver. After four hundred plus years of slavery, “the people of Isreal went out triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians,” (Numbers 33:3), marching towards an eleventh-hour miracle that only God could perform. With nowhere else to go, the Egyptian army hot on their trail and no way around the Red Sea standing in their way.
Nevertheless, at just the right moment, God would do what He does best! He did not remove the enemy in their rearview mirror or the obstacle standing in the way of the Israelites moving forward. Instead, God split the sea, deciding that He and His people would triumphantly walk through this trial together. Once the Israelites were safely on the other side, the waters would recede, putting an end to the Egyptians as they pursued them. Miracle after miracle pointing back to a God who can be trusted.
It would be easy to read this story and point fingers in judgment at the Israelites, questioning how they could have so quickly forgotten how God had delivered them. But what about our stories? Aren’t we more like the Israelites than we would like to admit? Where are we currently wandering in the wilderness of life? Where have we started to grumble out loud at God for taking too long to answer our prayers? Where have we forgotten the countless eleventh-hour miracles that God has done in our lives? Perhaps, like the Israelites, God is calling us to remember all that He has done for us and that He is a God who can be trusted yesterday, today, and forever!
Take a few minutes this week to journal about a specific time in your life that God showed you that He could be trusted. Next week we will dig deeper into the second truth about God that we are exploring together; God has a plan and purpose for our lives.
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.