Exodus 16:11-16
As we continue in the series “Starting Over,” Pastor Brown reminded us that the children of Israel are still in the process of their start over as they journey to the promise land. A start over is an opportunity to improve on each day that God provides us. The text reminds us that God heard the murmuring and complaints of the children of Israel. For 400 years they had adapted themselves to the pagan ways of Egypt and as a result had more confidence in those ways rather the ways of God as they lacked knowledge and confidence in the true God. Even though we may not be confident in God, this text reminds us that God is faithful.
There will be moments in our start over where our confidence level is not strong. Pastor Brown asked the question of the text, ‘what is required to ensure our start over is with confidence?’ The first requirement is found in verses 11 and 12 – ‘we must listen to the plan’. God spoke to Moses and Moses spoke to the children of Israel and gave them God’s plan for them. God has a plan for each day of our lives. What creates a lack of confidence is when we hold to our plan and ignore God’s superior plan. If we are to start over with confidence we must be listening for the plan. God had a specific plan for the children of Israel to feed them quail at the evening and bread for them in the morning. As God plans for us, we must heed the plan whether it’s for the night or the morning.
The second requirement is from verses 13 – 15 – ‘look for the promises’. We hear that God has a plan for us, but have we been looking for the promise. We can’t see what God has planned for us if we haven’t heard what God has said. Are we looking for something that God didn’t say? Are we living our lives trying to convince God to give us what we plan and thus make our plans his promise? God will not promise what he has not planned for us. Our confidence must be in God. We have the ability to do things, but can we do them according to God’s plan? God wants us to be confident people, walk with him, understand, and live for him. When we confront difficulties, we can still have confidence that God will make good on his promises. As we go through life we should get to a point where we don’t look for that which God didn’t say.
The final requirement from verses 13 and 16 – ‘we have to labor with the process’. God will do his part (show us his plan, keep his promises) but God expects us to ‘go get it’. God delivered quail at even and bread in the morning, but the children of Israel had to go get it. We may have to exert some energy to get the blessing God sends. As we listen to the plan, look for promise and labor with the process we are building confidence in God that he will make good on every promise.
NEWS: Please join us for our parking lot Resurrection Sunday and Communion Service on April 4 at 10:00 a.m. and join our live stream service on YouTube @ St Mark MBC each Sunday @ 10:20 and bible study on Wednesdays @ 7:00 p.m. St. Mark will be a location for Covid-19 Vaccinations on Saturday, April 10 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. for adults 55 and up. If interested, call the church office 727.321.6631. May God continue to bless and keep you.
