Nine days ago, I never dreamed each chapter I read would bring me so much excitement when it came time to blogging. I have read the book of Deuteronomy before. Quite honestly, some stuff can seem redundant, at times. I was sure there would come a day when I had nothing more to say. But every day I open God's Word and as I read I am always amazed at what He is speaking to me. Why are we ever surprised by God's faithfulness? Please open up and read Deuteronomy 8 or click here.
Today I was completely in awe of the way we begin in verses 2 & 3: "Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
1. God has called me into this desert, this waiting place, for 40 days during the time of lent.
2. During this time, He wants to humble me. I need to know that none of this is because of anything I have done on my own. I choose to partner with God during this process, but I believe it is the work of the Holy Spirit alive in me.
3. He is causing me to hunger for Him and for His Word. This hunger He is stirring up is because He has to teach me that He is the only thing in this world that will ever fully satisfy me.
4. He is feeding me with manna.
5. He is teaching me that the food I truly need is every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
During this time in the wilderness, I am studying the book of Deuteronomy because it is the one thing that stands between me and walking into my promised land, which is what happens in the next book of Joshua. They get to cross over because they have had their final teachings from God through Moses. I am believing this for my life as well. The Lord is teaching so many things to me during this time. Once this 40 days is over I am trusting in faith, that there will be a sort of spiritual crossing over because of breakthroughs I am receiving by Him. Once in that land, there will be much more work to do, but the Lord will be there with me, to help me fight each battle.
"When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." Perhaps, even greater than the realizations I have been having about what God is doing in this time of lent (which I would like to point out is a time of preparation in a believer of God), is the warning we are left with to not forget God. The reminder that He is the One who deserves all the glory. Anything we are able to do is done only because He has allowed it to happen. Verses 17 and 18 say "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...." This is a fine line we walk here, folks. It is true we may work hard and God may even reward us with a prize, but we MUST remember that it is God who deserves all the honor and glory. Whatever I do, I do it for the Glory of God. My journey through the wilderness is only to bring Glory to God. I want my life to be a testimony of who God is and my prayer is that where I am in this process, I will always remember that it is God who ultimately receives the praise. Verse 19 says that "If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. " I have been living a life of destruction because of my food addiction and this is where I will end up if I take my eyes off the Prize, which is Jesus Christ. My fervent prayer is that I will come to Him every day and that I will never forget who the Giver of all Gifts is.
One last thing I would like to point out. Manna. Manna is a very cool thing. There was a period of time in my life that I studied what it was and it was actually a bit of a theme. It was while I was single and the Lord gave me great understanding and revelation during this season. Manna literally means, "what is it?" They had not idea. They had never seen it before. God literally created something brand new, just for them because of His great love for His children and His desire to provide for their needs. in Exodus 16:4 we read "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.'" It is important to note that God did this in response to the grumblings of the very people He had just freed from slavery. He heard their complaints in the desert because they were hungry and chose to do something. At the same time, He will also trying to teach them something. They were only supposed to take enough Manna for that day. If they took more than their necessary needed amount, the food they saved would be full of maggots the next morning. The Lord was always providing for the Israelites, but some of them chose not to believe that. In Lamentations, it says, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."(v.22-23) God gives us just enough for each day. Do you believe this? What is it that you need today? Are you willing to ask Him? I sometimes feel like I am asking too much but Matthew 7:11 says that "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Today, petition the Lord to provide for you. Maybe you don't even know what you need. He does. Maybe you have been waiting for breakthrough. He can help. Maybe you feel lost and alone. He knows and wants to provide a way. Will you let Him?
This chapter is so beautiful because it is a reminder of the One we need to always direct the glory to, but it is also a reminder that we give Him the glory because He is the I AM (Exodus 3:14). Whatever you need, He is. And He will. Trust Him for that today. Also remember that when you are delivered, which you will be if you believe and let Him walk you through it, this did not come by your own hands but by the Lord Your God. And He always gets the glory.
Father, we give You all the praise and all the glory because you are good. Even when life is not good, You are good. And we will trust You because You are the Lord, our God. Thank you for Your promise to deliver us through the wilderness and into our promised land. We believe Your mercies are new every morning and we will do our best to trust You every step of the way. Thank you for how You have spoken to me today and for the work You are doing in me as we walk through this 40 days together. I love you, Lord. Amen.
Now Choose Life.
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