Listen

The whole Israelite community complained against Moses and Aaron in the desert. The Israelites said to them, “Oh, how we wish that the Lord had just put us to death while we were still in the land of Egypt. There we could sit by the pots cooking meat and eat our fill of bread. Instead, you’ve brought us out into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I’m going to make bread rain down from the sky for you. The people will go out each day and gather just enough for that day.”

Exodus 16:2-4a

Think

I remember well when I went from sixth to seventh grade. I was very happy to switch to middle school, take new classes and be “big.” The most exciting thing was that I was now changing my uniform to a blue shirt, and blue’s my favorite color.

The biggest change was the difficulty of the classes. The class that felt completely different was math! I used to get very high scores, but now I was failing. That was frustrating and I thought: “I would’ve been better off staying in elementary school.” Have you experienced anything like that?

There are changes we go through that frustrate us, and the first thing we think of is our weakness. However, God provides opportunities for us to experience God’s love. In my case, it was convenient to get a math tutor, who helped me a lot. God’s provision helps us to obey with love. The people of Israel complained a lot as they thought about the past. However, God had something better in store for them. God always knows what is best for us!

Daniel Andrés Rivera Rosado

Question to Ponder:

When is a time you’ve been frustrated and later looked back and realized God helped you through that situation?

Pray

God, provide the strength I need to face change.

God, give me your love and guidance that I may know what is best for me.

God, help me to understand that you are my provision.

Amen.

Go

Think about what people want. Now think about what they need. In which one can you show God?