Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Hunger to be the will of God

Bible Reading: Numbers 11: 4-15

Key Verse Vs 5

 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost (Numbers 11:5)


DEVOTION

 

The book of Numbers is a chronicle of the Israelites’ journey through the desert after escaping slavery in Egypt. During this journey, the Lord provides for every need of the Israelites; however, the Israelites know only to complain. In the key passage, we come across the Israelites complaining about the good food they used to enjoy in Egypt. While reading the passage, we see how the Israelites conveniently forget the cruelties they faced as slaves in Egypt and crave the meat, fish and vegetables they ate during their time in Egypt. They forget their cries to the Lord to deliver them and choose to complain about the manna that the Lord gives them every morning that sustains and nourishes them in the desert. We also read about how they wail about not having meat to eat. The act of wailing for meat shows how deeply sorrowful and unhappy the Israelites are in the desert. They have a deep seated hunger for the food they used to eat in Egypt and yearn for it. They are willing to reject what has been given to them by the Lord and crave for what they left behind.  
Often, we too yearn for a life before we knew our Lord and just like the Israelites, choose to remember the good old days and forget the pain and suffering that we endured in the past. The path of the Lord may be filled with trial and tribulations and as we walk through it we may feel we lived better lives in the past. However, our Lord works in miraculous ways to sustain and nourish us. Manna appears in different forms in our lives yet it takes time for us to realize its true value and be content in it. As the Israelites yearned for the food they had in Egypt, so we must yearn for the will of the Lord. We feed our hunger for the Word by constantly studying and meditating on the Scriptures. This knowledge then fuels our understanding of the Will of our Lord which then transforms us into the beings that our Lord truly intended us to be. The destination is clear but the path is unclear and it is up to us to rely on the manna given to us to nourish and sustain us. 
 

PRAYER

 Lord, we pray for Your guidance in this mortal world. As we continue our journey with You, we ask You to sustain and nourish us with Your Word and to rely on You wholeheartedly till we reach the gates of Heaven - Amen. 
 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“The scripture says, ‘Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.’” Mathew 4:4


Susan Cherian Varghese
Epiphany MTC

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