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.