God’s Provision (Psalm 78:17-31)

¹⁷ But they continued to sin against him,
rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
¹⁸ They willfully put God to the test
by demanding the food they craved.
¹⁹ They spoke against God;
they said, “Can God really
spread a table in the wilderness?
²⁰ True, he struck the rock,
and water gushed out,
streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat for his people?”
²¹ When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
his fire broke out against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
²² for they did not believe in God
or trust in his deliverance.
²³ Yet he gave a command to the skies above
and opened the doors of the heavens;
²⁴ he rained down manna for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
²⁵ Human beings ate the bread of angels;
he sent them all the food they could eat.
²⁶ He let loose the east wind from the heavens
and by his power made the south wind blow.
²⁷ He rained meat down on them like dust,
birds like sand on the seashore.
²⁸ He made them come down inside their camp,
all around their tents.
²⁹ They ate till they were gorged—
he had given them what they craved.
³⁰ But before they turned from what they craved,
even while the food was still in their mouths,
³¹ God’s anger rose against them;
he put to death the sturdiest among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel.

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What struck me in today’s passage was a call to trust in God for provision.  Asaph is getting into the particulars of the sin of the people during their trek through the wilderness.  What he focuses on is their failure to trust that God would provide for them.  In particular, they did not trust that He would provide food.  It is also interesting that although the Lord let His judgment fall on them, He still provided for them in a rather striking and miraculous way.

Do I trust in my God to provide for me?  Do I complain about what He has provided?  Maybe not to God, but to others or even just to myself?  The same promises that God made to the Israelites regarding the Exodus and the wilderness He has made to us. If you have the change, read Matthew 6:25-34.  It couldn’t be more clear:  God has promised to provide for all of our needs.

So my prayer today is for God’s provision, but more importantly thanksgiving because that provision is assured.  I pray for the faith to trust that because of my Savior, I need have no fear of being ill-provided by my Creator.

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