God's Blessing
Too often when God blesses us, we are happy for a short time and then we forget. When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, He led them out with a mighty hand and many miracles and yet they grumbled against their leaders and ultimately against their God. They had been enslaved for many years, and yet when they were granted their freedom, it seemed like that was just not enough for them. Do we look at God's blessing the same way? When he provides work or food or help for us, do we think to ourselves that that was great, but why didn't he give us a million dollars instead of just helping us with the rent? We should be cautious and careful how we treat His blessings.
Exodus 3:17 New International Version (NIV) http://www.biblegateway.com/
17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’
Exodus 14:8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen[a] and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon. 10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” 13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.
14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
25 He jammed[b] the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward[c] it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.
God destroyed the enemies who went after His people. He only asked them to be still and trust in Him. This is a good lesson for us.
Exodus 17:3
But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
Repeatedly, God would provide and then the people would grumble and complain at the very next challenge. Because of this there were not many of them that ever saw the fulfillment of the original promise to take over the Promised Land. Only the ones that were faithful and did not grumble got to see it and enter it. We all have challenges and needs and hurts. It is up to us whether we will trust Him or continually complain about our circumstances and eventually be cut off from His blessing.
Lesson: We probably would not appreciate Heaven, if we had not experienced some degree of hell on Earth. He builds our faith, shows us His power when we need Him and trust in Him. Find some reason to give Him thanks everyday!
