Numbers 11:1-35
👉 And the people complained…
- in the hearing of the Lord
- about their misfortune
- and it angered the Lord
- the fire of the Lord’s anger burned
- the people cried to Moses
- Moses prayed to the Lord
- the fire died down
I’m thinking the Lord does not approve of ungrateful complaining. It wasn’t sorrowful suffering. It wasn’t praying for perseverance. It was complaining. And the Lord wasn’t having it.
The people complained, “There is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”
Nothing but manna.
Nothing but miracle bread provided daily by the hand of God.
Nothing but provision in the midst of the wilderness.
Nothing but life sustaining cake that tasted like honey.
Nothing but God…and God wasn’t enough for them.
How often do we complain and – if we were brutally honest with ourselves – our complaint is “God, what you have so graciously and miraculously provided for me is not enough. You are not enough.” Oh, we wouldn’t say it that way – but is that the essence of our grumbling?
👉 The grumbling and the pressure of ministering to the mass of people overwhelmed Moses.
- Why? Why?
- I can’t meet their needs.
- I am not able…
- the burden is too heavy
- kill me at once
Okay, Moses.
“Lord, if this is how you’re going to treat me, kill me at once.”
I tear up a little when I think about the Lord’s response.
Not, “You’re being dramatic.”
Not, “Who do you think you are?”
The Lord said, “I will come down and talk with you.”
Oh, the kindness of God toward his children.
I don’t know what you’re dealing with today. The loneliness or loss. The disappointment or discouragement. The broken dreams or wasted years. The could have beens or should have beens.
What I do know is – whatever wilderness you’re in – you can cry out to God. He hears you and can handle your overwhelmed pleas.
And his answer to you is, “I will come down and talk with you.”
A God who descends – who comes down – to our level – enters into our pain – and talks with us.
And he walks with me
And he talks with me
And he tells me I am his own
And the joy we share
As we tarry there
None other has ever known
You are loved.
