The gloomy clouds got to me yesterday! I really wanted to be outside in the full sun and it was too windy to be on the boat. There is only so much yard work I can get excited about! I was whining to Mike that I needed more sun. Just getting outside can perk me up! I went on two four mile walks yesterday, one before church and one between storms. Last night we both agreed that we never thought we would look more forward to Monday than Friday! I was telling him I really need some sun on the weekends! Then I thought about it and decided I really need some Son! A lot of Son! And then I decided that is a blog!
We all think we have the answers! I just need some sun. What if God would have asked me to build an ark. A new big boat would be exciting but not for forty days and nights of steady rain. Now, that was isolation! And he had to build the boat and live with all the animals! And our families! I have new respect for Noah and his family! While the sun does make me feel better, getting vitamin D is good for us, but I know the real reason is because I am in the presence of God when I am in creation.
So on these tough dreary days when I cannot go visit a friend, go out to eat or go to the movies, I can get more Son! Why do I need more Son? We need God's grace and peace every day! John 6: 33, "For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." He made us to need Him. We need Him to fill our Spirit and to strengthen us for what is ahead. We simply cannot do life alone.
The Israelites spent 40 years in the desert. Times were tough, hot and dry. God met them where they were. He made sure they had what they needed. Through a very tough lesson, they learned how much they had to rely on Him. When they were hungry, God sent manna. Exodus 16: 14-15, "When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, 'What is it?' For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, 'It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat...'"
In Exodus 16: 15-19, Moses went on to say what I need to hear. "'...This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer (an ancient Hebrew measurement) for each person you have in your tent.' The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed. Then Moses said to them, 'No one is to keep any of it until morning.'"
Just like the Israelites we have to gather God's Word fresh every day - that is our way out of the wilderness! We cannot store it up! When we spend time in God's Word we gain understanding and wisdom. When we know His truth, we experience freedom. John 8: 32,
"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." When I spend more time in the Son I am set free from the heaviness of my circumstances. I am reminded of Who and Whose I am. I am reminded that I can live my life in joy, regardless of my circumstances. Thanks be to God!
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