Over the last few weeks, I’ve been reading the book of Exodus in my quiet times. I’ve read this book, preached from this book, and even worshipped to songs written out of this book so many times over the years that it’s honestly become one of those books that I can view as “just a story” if I’m not careful. So, over the last few weeks I’ve been trying to make sure I remember that this book is so much more than a story, it’s a mirror. It’s a reminder of who God is and who He calls me to be. It’s a reminder of my tendency to turn away from God, wander from Him, or keep Him at a distance. The book of Exodus reminds me that as God’s people, we are called to be a kingdom of priests. It is our job to bless people and show them the love of God. He has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to the world outside.

With all of this in mind, I’ve been thinking about blessings and the whole life cycle they seem to have when they come our way. Take the Israelites for example. God rescues them from slavery and leads them out of Egypt. Eventually, they get to a point where they are hungry and have no idea where they are going to find food. In that moment, they begin to complain. Hearing their grumbling, the Lord speaks to Moses and tells Him the plan. God will literally rain down food from heaven every day until they reach the land God has promised them. The next day, they wake up and lo and behold, there is food; more food than they could ever possibly eat. They gather what they need for the day and the remainder dissolves like ice melting on a hot summer day. The next day, it is back. Same process. Rinse and repeat. Each day, with the exception of the Sabbath¹, this mystery food keeps showing up. And every day the people have what they need. Every day, God provides in a miraculous way. And they all live happily ever after.

Unfortunately, the living happily ever after part is not the case. If we fast forward the story we see that eventually their attitude towards this wonder bread changes. The people get bored of these heavenly carbs and begin to take God’s provision for granted. They grumble and complain, longing once again for the slavery from which God had rescued them. They cry out, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (Numbers 11:4b-6 NIV). They long to return to slavery. And for what? Cucumbers and leeks?

It’s easy to judge the people here. It’s easy to look at there story and say, “What is wrong with you? Don’t you see what’s happening? It’s literally raining bread!” But aren’t we the same? Isn’t it so easy for us to look past the miracles and moments in our lives where God shows up and gives us what we need? Isn’t easy to view our blessings as if they are actually curses?

A few weeks ago I went to the gym and “accidentally” ran over six miles. I was just getting back into a serious running habit and the longest I’d run since 2021 was about two and a half. But that day, as I was running, I felt great, I felt loose, and I knew I could keep going. So, I did. I ran past the three mile goal on to five and eventually all the way to a 10k. I was so excited. I told everyone who would listen. I posted about it on social media. For me, it felt like a miracle. For the last two and a half years running felt like torture. My lungs were so atrophied from a bout with covid that even a flight of stairs was a source of serious discomfort. But that day, everything felt right. It was as if God had healed my lungs in an instant. It was that daily bread that I needed to get me through to next one.

A few days later, it was time to run again. I laced up the shoes and headed out. About two miles in, it was GAME OVER. Everything that I had experienced a few days before was gone. I couldn’t run any further. I went home frustrated, confused, and honestly, angry. I wondered why I had such a breakthrough moment just to end up back here. It came to the point where I said something to the effect of, I wish that six-mile run had never happened. It got my hopes up and now, I felt like a failure once again. Why did God allow me to do that just to take it away².

Here’s the truth, He didn’t take it away. That run still happened. I got to experience it and since that one, there have been several more long runs like it. So, I still look at that one as a miracle moment. But it wasn’t one that was supposed to be my new normal. It was a moment that was showing me that God was with me, that my body was in fact healing, that I was moving forward gaining strength both physically and in my resolve and self-discipline. God was giving me what I needed for that day. What I needed to get me through that moment, that season, and that run.

As I look at it now, I have come to realize that the first six mile run wasn’t actually THE miracle. It was one of the many. To be honest, every time I run these days feels like a miracle. I have a medical file full of mysteries that at one point seemed to indicate that my running days were over. And yet, here we are… talking about running… again. I did warn you!

Here’s my encouragement: Don’t let the things God has blessed you with become curses. Make sure you keep your gaze fixed and your heart tuned toward Him. Here are a few ways we can do that every day:

Spend time in his word.

Every time we open the Bible we get to look in the mirror. We get to see a picture of humanity as it has always been. A group of flawed wanderers in desperate need of grace and redemption. It’s easy to see these accounts as mere stories but they aren’t. They are the stories of you and me and our desperate need for a redeemer. A redeemer who showed up to do the work of redemption. Keep that focus and allow His Word to read you and constantly point out the truth that God shows up in our mess, gives us our daily bread, and continues to love us through our sins.

Pray before you complain.

When we take our burdens to God, two things tend to happen. First, the insignificant ones tend to fall away. As we sit before Him, we often realize that He is meeting our needs in those areas and instead of complaining, we thank Him. Second, those big burdens get a little lighter. As we release our needs to Him, knowing He is our provider, our desire to complain tends to slip away as we sense Him take on the heavy load. Come to Him. Even when our urge is to grumble or complain, He’s waiting to carry the load.

Fight to keep a heart of gratitude.

Gratitude is the number one tool to conquer complaints. It is hard to be genuinely grateful and complain about something at the same time. I can’t genuinely thank God for the provision of manna and complain about the manna with the same breath. When we focus on gratitude over complaints, we’ll begin to see God’s provision for what it truly is, a miraculous blessing given as a gift to the people He loves.

Remember what the Lord has done.

Forgetfulness costs us way more than we will ever realize³. That’s why so often through the pages of scripture, we see people building altars, erecting ebenezer stones, and naming cities and children things like, “The Lord is my banner who guided me out my despair and into an incredible season of victory over my enemies⁴!” What practices have you put in place to help you remember the times when God broke in to your life and did something amazing? Create the routines, build the altar, erect the stones. Whatever you have to do, remember.

Complaining will kill our joy and damage our witness to the word. But a heart of gratitude will keep us filled with joy and focused on the purpose God has given us. A posture of praise and constant remembrance of God’s goodness will allow the world to see Jesus reflected in us. He is good. He is worthy. And he will meet us every morning with that daily bread. Don’t miss the miracle.

Notes

¹ On the day before, the Israelites were to gather twice as much manna in preparation for the Sabbath.

² Of course, God didn’t take anything away from me. There is a cyclical nature to running and that was all just part of the cycle. Yes, I too miss the point regularly.

³ Because we forgot about it so we don’t remember the cost… you get it.

⁴ That is a slight exaggeration… but only slight.