Praise Always
This day with God will be amazing because He can take tough situations and turn them into something positive. Praise always because out of intense difficulties, God can make simplicities emerge. Reading today in Numbers 11, it had only been a short time since the people had witnessed the miracle of the Red Sea parting so they could escape to freedom. Only a few days before, they witnessed the miracle of their daily bread provided in the form of manna. Yet the people complained because they were tired of manna and wanted meat to eat.
They complained about their hardships and had already forgotten what had been done for them. Think about groups that complain in current times who are full of pessimism. No matter what good things happen, they find a way to protest. They are like babies who were satisfied with crushed up carrots or beats put into a jar of baby food but then taste a hamburger for the first time and never want the baby food again.
So it was with the Israelites. Manna was not good enough for them because they had been given fish, cucumbers, melons, onions, and garlic while in Egypt. The takeaway for us is not to let a few problems crush the Spirit. Things like fear, frustration, anxiety, disorder, and temporary defeat might turn our thoughts about the Lord negative.
If our thinking starts going in the wrong direction, we can lose our edge for a great day. Below is a picture going up Mt. Haleakala which is a dormant volcano on the Hawaiian Island of Maui.
Deep inside the earth, there is all this built-up energy that is released through volcanos much like inside each of us is all this built up thoughts of frustration and anxiety. Instead, let’s think of what good things are going our way and this will build momentum so that we stay on track. If we can replace the negatives with positives, then we can flourish. After all, the lava from volcanos like Mt. Haleakala formed the island paradise of Hawaii and God can turn our negatives for something positive too.
The Lord answered Moses’s questions with 70 helpers. He answered the people’s complaint of the lack of meat to eat by sending a strong wind which brought quail right to their camp. So keep focused on the Lord. Give Him praise always for He can take our questions and provide an answer. If we stand up to problems with optimism and ask for help to overcome them, we will discover that our problems don’t have near the strength that we have when the Lord is with us.
This day with You Lord, we praise You always because You are with us. We are blessed with a great future because of the help You provide. Gratitude is our password to Your presence. You have given us Jesus to follow, the Word as our road map, and the Spirit as our guide. Amen.
Mark Shields, Thanks for reading! This blog started from a small Bible Study group several years ago with just a few followers and now has grown beyond what I would have imagined. I’ve found it to be a great tool in my journey through the Bible and you, my readers are holding me accountable to daily Bible reading and study.
We live in a busy world with busy schedules and being able to share some thoughts about this journey with others across this world through the Internet is truly a blessing.
Mark’s Website: thisdaywithgod.wordpress.com
Photo by Kalen Emsley on Unsplash
What an amazing God we serve indeed!
Thank you for this encouraging devotional Mark.