As hard as it is to believe, there will probably be some people at some time who look back on this day and age and consider it to be “the good old days.” When you look at the troubles in the world, the division and hatred, the way the world has pulled farther and farther away from God, it seems hard to believe. I can’t imagine the Hebrews, wandering in the desert and yearning for the food of Egypt, would ever have believed that, generations later, people would be pining for their 40 years in the desert!
The people didn’t just ask for “daily bread”, they demanded Jesus give it to them ALWAYS.
That is ALWAYS the wrong approach to God. It assumes we know what is best and demand that God get on board and use His power to provide it. I have a plan, I have needs, I have desires, I know what should happen, I just need God to sponsor it, to get behind it and make it happen. Get behind me God, with you as my co-pilot, I can steer us into great things.
See the problem? See why this is such a wrong approach?
But haven’t we all also done similar in our prayer life. We make up our mind and ask God to get behind us instead of us getting behind God and following Him. It isn’t that God won’t at times give us what we ask, but, we then simply do not know what greater blessing God would have had for us if we had followed Him.
We shouldn’t pray for God to be on our side, we should pray that we be on God’s side. We shouldn’t pray for God to be our co-pilot, we should be thankful to have God pilot our lives. We shouldn’t run ahead and count on God to catch up to our great plans, we should be at peace where we are and patiently wait and trust in God’s timing.
I’m not saying any of that is easy. We are impatient, we are infants, we are self-focused. We are like little kids going down the candy aisle at the grocery store after not getting a nap – we through tantrums and make demands. We don’t just want, but we want what we want right now. But, God loves us even during these times and He helps and guides us to mature.
My Answers:
8.
As they wondered in the desert, God provided Manna from Heaven for them to collect daily and eat. Moses was their earthly leader, but he did not make the manna, it was from God
9.
a.
The more wonderful food is Jesus. He is the bread of eternal life, given by God.
b.
I am in Jesus and He is in me. We are connected and I am slowly being transformed out of my sinful self and nature into a holy being who will live forever, because He paid the price. My God is not distant, My God is my creator and He loves me.
10.
Bread from heaven… they must have been hungry! Demands don’t go well, because we don’t know what we really need. Sometimes God provides them, sometimes He provides something more in line with what we really need.
The Notes are Good 