In the provision of God, every day is a new day of opportunity to find Him, acknowledge Him, recognise His hand, in the rich and varying tapestry of our ever changing circumstances of life. Whether today’s experience is one on the mountain top, the valley, or a wilderness, God is our ever present help, (Psalm 46:1), and the wellspring of all joy in Christ Jesus, (John 7:38).
After we have entered into salvation, the apostle Paul describes us as a “new man” in Christ, a new creation, (Colossians 3:10), where we come into the knowledge that “Christ is all, and IN all”, (Colossians 3:11). Encourage yourself in God if at this present time you find yourself in a wilderness experience. When the children of Israel were in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt, it was never intended of God for it to be a permanent dwelling place. They were meant to pass through the wilderness, a testing place, on their way to the Promised Land. Their wrong choices and continual complaining prevented them from entering into their inheritance, and the wilderness became their dwelling place. We are privileged to have the advantage of learning from their mistakes. A whole generation, apart from two, died in the wilderness, leaving the next generation to inherit the Promised Land.
May the Lord Jesus daily strengthen us in the trials of our faith, our wilderness experiences, to walk through under His guiding hand of strength, direction and provision. We have so much to learn of God’s ways, and so much to unlearn of our natural ways governed by “sense knowledge”, (eating from the tree of good and evil where we acquire knowledge, instead of seeking to know God, Genesis 3).
In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, (Mathew chapters 5-7) He teaches us: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you”, Matthew 6:33. God wants to be wanted and desires that first place in our lives.
When the children of Israel were in the wilderness they experienced the supernatural provision of God in so many ways. He provided manna from heaven every day, their clothes did not wear out, their shoes did not wear out. There were no natural resources there, only God’s supernatural provision. When my natural circumstances scream so loudly, if I listen and heed them they will drag me into unbelief. Unbelief is an open door for the devil to take a foothold on my God-bought life, for it is his territory and environment for evil. That is why God calls it “an evil heart of unbelief”,(Hebrews 3:12) because He knows that if we entertain unbelief it will take us away from Him. He always desires the best, His best, for us.
When the children of Israel entered into the Promised Land the supernatural provision of food, water etc. was no longer needed. God had provided everything they needed naturally now. It was a land “flowing with milk and honey”. Now His provision was all around them. The question in relation to my life is: Am I looking for God’s miraculous provision in some area when His natural provision is all around me to hand? Every day God gives me breath is a miracle. Our bodies are a walking miracle in themselves by His design. Let us embrace, and enjoy, the portion of our cup He has granted us. Let me not be forever looking for a day beyond the horizon of this day. “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it”, Psalm 118:24. Every day is a choice…….“Choose ye this day…..”
Hebrews 3:7 – 19 “As the Holy Spirit says ‘Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness………take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.’………They could not enter in because of unbelief”.
God requires us to cast all our cares upon Him. We think we can solve situations with our good ideas instead of making room for God to work. We have to surrender things to Him, let go and enter His rest. Unbelief prevents that rest, but faith has better eye sight than all natural thinking gives.
“There remains therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His”, Hebrews 4: 9-10. There is a maturing that takes place in the restful ripening journey of trust, all for His glory!……..we daily have the privilege of choice.
Photo by Doug Kelley on Unsplash
