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A firm foundation…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’ ”

My faith cannot sustain my children, but it does provide them a firm foundation. They certainly have a good idea of what the hubs and I believe, who Jesus is to us, but there will come a time when they have to question and assess and explore and figure out what they believe, who Jesus is to them. 

Exodus 16:33 So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.”

God, Jesus, His love and provision, mercy and grace is known to them but is not yet theirs. Our faith in Jesus can only take them so far. They have to make it their own. 

Exodus 16:34 As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law, so that it might be preserved. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the foundation of faith that parents provide for their children, for the God stories that we pass down so that they can see the role You have played in our lives. Be with them as they grow and mature and make our faith their own. Help them to trust the foundation we have laid and to know that You are with them, always, that You love them, fiercely and completely. Amen.

Exodus 16:35-36 The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan. (An omer is one-tenth of an ephah.)

Have a blessed day. 

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Thoughts and questions…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? 

The first thing that comes to mind about verse 28 is that God’s yelling at Moses because the Israelites aren’t behaving, which feels grossly unfair. It’s a knee-jerk reaction on my part to be sure. Moses is the leader of the Israelites, and he did tell God no several times even before he said yes.

Exodus 16:29 Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” 

The second thing that snags my attention is verse 30. I wonder what that rest looked like for the Israelites. Were they able to “Be still and know” that God is God (Ps 46:10)? Was it a forced stillness where they had to continually reign in their errant thoughts? Were they able to relax, focus on, and praise God on the seventh day?

Exodus 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the thoughts and questions that come to me as I read Your word. Each day, help me to learn more about who You are, who You are to me, and who I am to You. Help me to draw closer, to shine Your light, to be still and know You are God. Always. amen.

Exodus 16:31 The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.

Have a blessed day. 

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Trying to understand…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 

I have a deep need to understand things. If you do something differently than I do, I’m probably going to ask you about it. The intent is not to imply that my way is best. The intent is to understand your way and to see if I should be doing things differently. I think a lot of people misunderstand my intentions when it comes to this tendency.

Exodus 16:25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 

Commentary implies that those who are surprised when the double portion gathered on Saturday doesn’t stink or get maggots (unlike what happened in verse 20) and those who go out to gather on Sunday (even though the Lord said there would be no manna) were not trusting God, that they had to personally experience it to take it as truth. Maybe they were just trying to understand. 

Exodus 16:26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

Precious Savior, You created me exactly as I am, curious and inquisitive, tender-hearted, enthusiastic, compassionate, a little awkward, hitting every single high and low in life. Help me to love myself as You created me and to use who I am to bring You glory. Help me to accept others as they are as well. Amen.

Exodus 16:27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none.

Have a blessed day. 

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Natural consequences…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

Commentary says of verse 20, “The bad experience of their disobedience led them reluctantly to obedience.” In the parenting world and the real world, that’s called natural consequences–as in this is just the real-world consequence when you make the choices you’ve made (as opposed to “You are grounded because of the choices you’ve made”).

Exodus 16:21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 

We make decisions every day, and every decision comes with a natural consequence. Not all natural consequences are bad, and some are so much worse than others. But the math of “Should I do this or should I not? Is it worth whatever the consequence?” is the mathematics of life. 

Exodus 16:22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that You do not want automatons who follow You because we have no choice. You want us to choose You. Daily. I think it hurts Your heart when we make bad choices, choices where the natural consequences hurt us. Thank You for not turning Your back on us, no matter how stubborn we are, no matter how poor our choices. Help us to make good choices today. Amen.

Exodus 16:23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’ ”

Have a blessed day. 

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On scarcity mindsets and God’s provision…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’ ”

I’m still thinking about the scarcity mindset and the fact that Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:34 that “Each day has enough trouble of its own.” What if trouble in this verse doesn’t actually mean trouble? What if God is saying, yet again, that He will give us what we need when we need it if we only trust Him?

Exodus 16:17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 

That could mean that my scarcity mindset, which leads me to be over prepared so that I’m not in want, so that I am never in need, keeps me from experiencing God’s provision in a way I haven’t before. Perhaps it keeps me from seeing God make a way in my wilderness (Is 43:19). It’s definitely interesting to ponder.

Exodus 16:18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

Precious Savior, Thank You for this new way to look at scripture I have read many times. I know that this fear of lack, this scarcity mentality is something You are calling me to put aside so that I can trust You more fully. Help me to draw closer to You. Always. Amen.

Exodus 16:19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

Have a blessed day. 

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God’s ways are beyond our imagining…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:11-12 The Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”

Commentary says of this section of scripture, “God provided for them, but they did not recognize it,” which brings to mind Isaiah 55:8. I am particularly fond of the NLT translation–”“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”–because of the idea that God’s ways are beyond our imagining. I think that is 100% true.

Exodus 16:13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.

This thought leads me to Isaiah 43:19–”See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”–Where I see nothing but wilderness and wasteland, God in His infinite wisdom sees a way beyond my imagining. Thank You, Jesus.

Exodus 16:14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that Your ways are beyond my ability to imagine. Thank You that where I see wilderness and wasteland, You see a way, You are making a way. Forgive me when I grumble in my fear. Help me to trust You. Always. Amen.

Exodus 16:15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.

Have a blessed day. 

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God is bigger than our feelings…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:8a Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. 

Somehow, for some reason, I convinced myself somewhere along the way that I could not show negative emotions with God. As you might imagine, that led to a lot of resentment on my part. How can I have a close relationship with someone who only sees my happy face? It’s not sustainable, even in our relationship with God.

Exodus 16:8b Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”

News Flash: God is bigger than our feelings. It took me until I was well into my 30s to fully embrace that, but it is true. God is bigger than any emotion I have and express. He can handle my anger, fear, frustration, misery. He will not turn His back on me because I emote. He will not kick me out of the Kingdom because I don’t keep my feelings in line.

Exodus 16:9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’ ”

Precious Savior, Thank You that You are bigger than my feelings and that You want all of my–not just the shiny, happy bits. Thank You that I can be real, raw, honest with You and that You will never leave me nor forsake me. Help me to keep my grumbling in check, but thank You that You love me even then. Amen.

Exodus 16:10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.

Have a blessed day. 

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Each day’s trouble…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 

I have always read this section as a test and one that I would inevitably fail: Can I just get enough for today without worrying about tomorrow? No, I cannot because the scarcity mindset–the belief that finite resources (be they food, money, supplies, etc) will run out and I don’t want to be left wanting–is real and pervasive.

Exodus 16:5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

When Jesus says in Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own,” it’s the trouble that jumps out at me, but I truly think I should focus on the provision. God’s got me. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). He is faithful and will give me what I need when I need it.

Exodus 16:6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, 

Precious Savior, I am so like the Israelites in all the worst ways–I grumble, forgetting Your faithfulness. I horde, forgetting that You will provide all I need each day–strength, peace, compassion, love. Help me to break this cycle of fear and to trust that You are who You say You are and that I am Your deeply, fiercely, completely loved child. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 16:7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?”

Have a blessed day. 

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How I spend my time and energy…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 

It seems the Israelites have already forgotten how God made a way in their wilderness, and they are grumbling again. Commentary says of this time that “…starvation was more anticipated than experienced,” meaning the Israelites are catastrophizing, which Google defines as “a cognitive distortion where you expect the worst possible outcome, blowing a negative situation out of proportion and magnifying its potential impact, leading to heightened anxiety, fear, and despair.”

Exodus 16:2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 

And as much as I want to stand in judgement of the Israelites and their attitudes, I absolutely get it. I have spent way too much of my life pondering worst case scenarios and trying to do everything within my power to avoid them. At this point in my life, I’m exhausted and frustrated at myself that this is still a cycle I get stuck in way too often.

Exodus 16:3a The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, 

Precious Savior, Just as You don’t want me to waste my time and energy catastrophizing, You also don’t want me to waste my time and energy beating myself up when I miss the mark yet again. Help me to break both habits so that I can spend my time and energy shining Your light and being Your hands and feet in this weary world. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 16:3b …but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

Have a blessed day. 

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He is making a way…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 15:25a Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.

Lord, I am reminded again today of Isaiah 43:19 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness….”

Exodus 15:25b There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. 

Father, The Israelites felt trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptians, and You made a way. They were so thirsty without safe water, and You made a way at Marah. You even provided them with rest at Elim.

Exodus 15:26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

Precious Savior, Again and again You make a way in the wildernesses of our lives, a way we cannot even perceive and You are already on the other side of it. Forgive us our grumbling. Help us to trust. Thank You for Your fierce love and unwavering faithfulness. Amen.

Exodus 15:27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

Have a blessed day.