21 Days: Day 2

Devotional:

Hey Be Hope Church! Welcome to 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting where we are focusing on how God provides. Have you ever been so hungry you couldn’t think about anything else? Now imagine you’re in the desert with no grocery store, no DoorDash, no snacks in your bag. That’s exactly where the Israelites found themselves in Exodus 16 - kind of hangry. God has just freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, parting the Red Sea, leading them out with miracle after miracle. And yet, once they’re in the wilderness, the first thing we hear? Complaints!

“If only we had died in Egypt! There we had all the food we wanted, but you brought us into this desert to starve!” Exodus 16:3

After everything God had done, they wanted to go back. Rude! But if we’re honest, we do the same thing, don’t we? We look at our lives and wish for something better or different. Often, we think, “If only I had what they have… if only things were different.” We compare ourselves to what others have, and it’s easy to believe we’re missing out.

In Exodus 16:6, Moses tells them, “In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because He has heard your grumbling.” And God responds not with frustration, but with provision. Every morning God was going to provide manna from heaven. Every evening He would provide quail. Just enough for each day. God was faithful to provide for His people the manna for 40 years!

I think the challenge when reading this story is that we think, if I complain or grumble enough, God will hear me and do what I ask for or what I need. But that mindset misses the point. It wasn’t because they were complaining that made God respond. Instead, God provided to show them who He was. God wanted to show them he was compassionate, faithful, and generous.

I love that in this story we can learn something about ourselves and about God. I think we will always be tempted to believe “enough” is somewhere else. That once we arrive at the career, graduation, get married, have kids, make enough money - whatever it is - then, we will have enough or be enough. But this story tells us about who God is. God is faithful to meet our needs right where we are. I’ll be honest, sometimes I struggle with “enough” too. But the same God who gave the Israelites what they needed each day is the same God who will give you exactly what you need today.

Challenge:

· Find your grumble. Where in your life are you complaining that you don’t have enough? Is it your job, your home, your relationships… or yourself? Name it. Then invite God to show you how He’s already providing there. Because here’s the promise: “The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Let’s trust Him to be the God who provides, not just enough, but more than enough.

Prayer:

God, thank You that You are faithful and that You provide more than enough for every need we have. Forgive us for the times we grumble or compare instead of trusting You. Help us to see Your provision in our lives today and to rest in the truth that You are always enough. Strengthen our faith as we walk through these 21 days and let our hearts overflow with gratitude for who You are. In Jesus’ name, Amen.