He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:16-18 NIV)
How do you respond when you are faced with challenging circumstances that you have never encountered before? Are you able to turn to God for help and put your trust in Him?
The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years after they left Egypt, before they reached the Promised Land. During those forty years, they witnessed God’s faithfulness repeatedly as He provided for them, however, their response to their circumstances was to murmur, complain and doubt God.
Whatever challenges we are facing today, God wants us to trust Him and depend on Him to see us through. He will be faithful to us as He was to the Israelites in the wilderness, when He provided for their every need…even though they didn’t see it that way at the time. This Scripture tells us that God’s purpose in their lives was to humble them and test them. God had not abandoned the Israelites despite their attitudes toward Him. He wanted them to learn to depend on Him and live in obedience to Him, so that in the end it might go well with them. (v. 16) Despite their unbelief, God never stopped loving them with a perfect love, as only He can do.
God provided for His children, the Israelites, in a way that had not been seen by generations past. In this uncharted territory, they had to live by faith, and depend on God for everything they needed. They had no reason to be prideful based on how well they had taken care of themselves, because they needed to fully trust in God’s provision for everything.
Through their journey, God showed the Israelites that He was never far from them, and that He cared about their most basic needs. That’s how He is with us as His children…no problem in our lives is too big for Him to solve and no problem is too small that it escapes His attention and care. All we need to do is be willing to ask for His help, and to lean on Him as He cares for us.
About ten years ago, my husband and I found ourselves in a situation where our lives changed drastically. I was no longer able to work full-time as I had done for years, because of my declining physical condition. For a couple of years, it seemed like nothing made any sense in our world. We’d been faithful to God in any way we knew to be, and we trusted Him with our lives. Yet, according to the outward appearance of our situation, it seemed as though there was nothing but hardship and loss in store for us. Ah, but God has a plan!
Things are still challenging for us in some ways, which we are trusting God to work out…in His perfect timing! But, as we look back over everything that has happened in our lives during the past ten years, we see evidence of God’s faithfulness. He is restoring our lives, one step at a time. God cares about every part of us; physically, emotionally and spiritually. To begin with, He is bringing us into closer relationship with Him, which is changing us on the inside. We are discovering new paths that He is leading us to follow, and we look forward to the days ahead to see what He has in store for us.
He loves you as much as He loves us. He wants to restore your life as well. You can count on Him!
My prayer is, “Lord, thank you for everything You give us and do for us. Please help us to lean on you for everything, instead of trying to be self-sufficient. All praise, honor and glory, be unto Your holy Name. AMEN.
