ADT can't give it to you

Posted in By Misti Runyan 0 comments

In the Old Testament story of the exodus of the Israelites lies a retelling of a miraculous event. God redeemed His people and broke them out of bondage to Pharoah. He led them away from Egypt and even saved them from a last-ditch attempt by Pharoah to reclaim them. But even these great miracles and the signs that came before them don't carry the significance of God's provision of manna.

This was not a greater miracle than those that came before it. Manna was, however, a direct test by God of His people's trust in Him. This was the Lord's teaching moment in regard to relationship. Each morning, the people were to gather enough manna for ONE day only, except for the day before the Sabbath. That first week must have been tough.

Exodus 16:20 recounts the people's first response to the one-day rule: 'But some of them didn’t listen to Moses. They kept part of it until morning, and it was full of worms and smelled bad.' Can you imagine that first Friday (the Hebrew Sabbath was on what we now call Saturday)? The one time they tried to store up food, it went completely rancid overnight. Now the Lord was telling them to keep leftovers. Talk about stepping out on a limb!

Security is measured very differently today than in generations past. Sure, we still worry about safety from physical harm (criminals, natural disasters and the like) but there are so many other areas in our lives where we can become fearful of hurt. Divorce, identity theft, and bankruptcy are all in the forefront of our society, and the terror of "it could happen to me" wreaks havoc on our stress levels. Our security today is measured in dollars and watchdog services as we watch marriage become a disposable commodity.

The miracle of manna reminds us that security is not found in our savings account or our super-secret passwords. God is the only reliable watchdog in our lives. The catch is this: God doesn't always provide us with tomorrow's needs today. Sometimes, when our circumstances are uncertain and we feel the most fear, it is then that God is saying to us, "Trust Me."

The Lord doesn't promise an easy life. Some of the troubled times we face are God's tests. What our Heavenly Father does promise is that He will never give us more than we can handle, and that He will never leave us. That's the kind of security we can take to the bank.