“Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.” Joshua 5:10-12
For forty years, the provision of God allowed the Hebrew people to eat manna in the wilderness. But the day that they reached the promised land and produce became available—God ceased providing manna.
My friend, God is so good to provide our daily bread.
When our heart belongs to God, we begin to see that there is never any gap in His provision. The closer we get to God the more our eyes are opened to see this. The other day I was sharing with a friend how much I often feel like Mr. Magoo. If you are old enough to remember this cartoon, you’ll remember how Mr. Magoo, who was kind of clueless and seemed to be blind, would often randomly walk or drive through dangerous places and would always be saved at the last minute. For example, he would wander into a high rise construction site, and just as he was about to step off a beam to his death, a crane would place another beam right in front of him and he would continue walking—oblivious to the fact he had just avoided death.
I think I lived the first 20 years of my Christian life like Mr. Magoo—oblivious to the obvious provisions of God.
But God, in His infinite mercy and grace, has been so patient with me. As He grows me in the knowledge of His mind and develops me in His attitudes, I begin to see more of His hand of provision all around me. In fact, on my prayer list I’ve added a section at the end called “Answered Prayers.” This list is a reminder of all the personal reasons I have to be thankful, and it reminds me to praise God for each one—much like the Israelites would sing out of Psalms 136:
To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, for His mercy endures forever; And brought out Israel from among them, For His mercy endures forever; With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, for His mercy endures forever; To Him who divided the Red Sea in two, for His mercy endures forever; And made Israel pass through the midst of it, for His mercy endures forever; But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for His mercy endures forever; To Him who led His people through the wilderness, for His mercy endures forever. Psalms 136:10-16
The Israelites sang God’s praises for many specific instances of provision. Thanksgiving has been so critical for my spiritual growth! This was never more evident than in our series about thankfulness in affliction.
The more we begin to recognize God’s provision, the more we get to place God’s power and wisdom to work for His glory!
For example, we had a situation in the office where one of the team really needed to step back to take care of family. This left a big hole in the office and I began to get anxious. But as I began to review all the prayers God had answered, I realized how small I was making God by being anxious. I prayed, “God, this is YOUR law practice, You figure it out.” Almost immediately God reminded me of someone who was interested in a job. She was available for the interview and excited to start training—the very next day. She was qualified for the job and has an incredible relationship with God.
If we allow God to be FIRST in our life, He will REVEAL—there is NO gap in HIS provision!
“Oh Lord, help me to be reminded daily of Your faithfulness. Remind me that there are never any gaps in Your provision. Help me to better understand You for Who You are…not who I make You. Lord, You are worthy of all honor, praise and glory in my life. Thank you, Lord!”
