Keenen D. Brinson, M.Div Youth Ministries Coordinator – Gethsemane Campus 

Exodus 16:1-3, 31-36 (The reader is encouraged to read all of Exodus 16 if possible)

16:1 They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

31 Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept. 35 The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (An omer is the tenth part of an ephah.)

Reflection:
It was Brian Tracey who said, “It’s the unexpected that changes our lives forever.”

Family, I’d like to inform you that God has great things in store for both you and I. Though life has attempted to bend us with the gravity of grief we can rejoice in knowing that God has plans for us. God’s plans are not often the problem we have but rather we take issue with God’s process. The process of the uncultivated places, the process of the uninformed places. Me and God have a problem when God takes me through situations that we never talked about beforehand. My response usually goes like this; “This isn’t what I expected. This isn’t what I prayed for. This isn’t what I believed for. 

God uses this story of Exodus 16 to encourage those who feel like God has taken you the long way to get to great places. It seems like God has us wondering in the wilderness, but what we see as WILDERNESS God sees as PROCESS. Always remember, He’s the God of intentionality.

Yet the question remains. How do we find purpose in the seasons of our lives that look and feel like the wilderness?

Here in our text, you have a group of people often referred to as the children of Israel. These are God’s chosen people who have recently been released from Egyptian captivity. God raises up a man named Moses to lead them out of Egypt into Canaan which is noted to be The Promised Land. What you must understand is that the greatest deal of difference between the two destinations are not mutually exclusive.

There is food in Egypt.
There is food in Canaan.
They have family in Egypt.
They have family in Canaan.

Though there are parallel similarities, there is a greater reality. God said that there is OVERFLOW in Canaan. Which means the season of just enough is over once they make it to the Promised Land. The purpose of the PROCESS is so God can train us for the final PRODUCT. Process is what produces the Fruits of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I believe even though the process didn’t always feel good to the children of Israel, during those uncomfortable moments the process gave them the ability to fully accept and take care of what was to come. Friends don’t get discouraged. The wildernesses might hurt but something good is waiting on you.

Prayer:

Dear God,
Thank you for providing for and sustaining us in the PROCESS. Your word is true when you said that you will never leave or forsake us. I pray that the Holy Spirit reminds us of your love and grace in the moments of our discomfort. While going through what we see as the WILDERNESS you still provide us with the BREAD of LIFE which is your son Jesus, and for that we are beyond thankful. Continue to enhance our capacity as we enhance our faith in you. Bread of Heaven! Bread of Heaven! Feed us until we want no more.

Amen.