Thursday, December 07, 2006

What Is IT?

What Is IT?

So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat"
-- Exodus 16:15; NKJV

Isn't it aggravating to be in a rush, and get slowed down by an unhurried driver? I was on my way to a Christian school one day to speak at morning assembly, when I came upon one of those unhurried types. Unhappy, feeling rushed and impatient do not begin to describe the way I felt. I was raising a ruckus inside my head; "God, you know I'm trying my best, so why do I get behind this slow-poke?" God didn't give me an answer right then, and that frustrated me even more. The answer came at an intersection further down the road. As we approached the four way intersection, a car ran the light. It was if God spoke to me and said, "If you had been in front of the slow-poke, what would have happened? Trust Me."

I may have been smashed into if I had been driving the speed that I wanted to drive. Once I reached my destination, I had to take a moment and reverence God for His blessing me with safety through a slow driver.

Many times we do not see our blessings because we are not looking for them. Other times, our blessings are right in our face and we don’t recognize them. The latter of the two is the situation we find in our Scripture for today.

God told the Israelites that He would "rain bread" (Exodus 16:4) from heaven down on them. When God did what He said He would do the people said, "What is it?" They didn't recognize the blessing that God said He would send! Moses quickly told the people that it was the bread that God had promised.

Two things: (1) when you are wondering why or what, be careful to look for the blessing that may come out of the situation and (2) be thankful for faithful folks who point out blessings to you. While I was complaining about being slowed down on the road, I should have been busy thanking God for whatever it was He was slowing me down for. If someone had been in the car with me, and had told me to look for the good in the situation I probably would have laughed at them or complained more. How would you have reacted?

Friends, it's all about trusting in God. Believe, know, and trust in the fact that He knows exactly where you are and will cause "everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them" (Romans 8:28; NLT). Looking for His Sovereign will in EVERY situation will revolutionize your thinking and make every moment a time of worship. Don't miss a blessing. More importantly, don't have one right in front of you and find yourself saying, "What is it?"

No comments: