To Humble You

Reading: Deuteronomy 7-9; Mark 15 15…He gave you water from the rock! 16 He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. 17 He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ 18 Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath. (Deuteronomy 8:15-18 NLT) Twice in Deuteronomy 8, Moses told the people that God gave them manna during the wilderness years to humble them. In the wilderness, the hunters couldn’t feed their families with game they killed, and the farmers couldn’t feed their families with crops they grew. God fed them with food they had no part in producing and could take no credit for in any way. It’s in our nature to want to be self-sufficient, to be proud of what we can do! It’s also in our nature to begin drifting away from simple faith and trust in God as soon as we think we’ve got a handle on things. One of the most dangerous times for us Christians is when we start to think, “Okay God, thanks for the help! I can take it from here!” 10 When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.” (Deuteronomy 8:10-11 NLT) The times of greatest need in my life are usually the times of most earnest prayer and seeking after God. It seems I never pray more passionately or seek more diligently than when I’m at the end of my rope. I really want God to be able to trust me to keep him at the center of my life even when things are going relatively well. And it really is humbling to go out and pick up manna off the ground every morning! Prayer: Father, It seems as if you’re always bringing me back to the basics. You’re God and I’m not! I’m just where you want me when I’m aware how totally dependent I am on you. I can do nothing without you. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Thanks for the manna! Amen.