One Day at a Time

Exodus 16:19 - Then Moses told them, "Do not keep any of it until morning."

When God provided the manna for the Israelites, He gave Moses specific instructions regarding it.  But the people weren't interested in hearing instructions and rules.  God wasn't, and still doesn't, give us rules and instructions just to be some hard schoolmaster.  He does it for a good reason.

He does it, as is shown by the story of the bread from Heaven, to teach us to rely on Him daily.  To trust in His provisions and guidance one day at a time.

A misconception among new believers, is that now that they have received Christ into their hearts, and are pursuing a relationship with God, everything should come easier for them.  They should suddenly have all the answers and God should provide for all their needs right away.  But it doesn't work that way.

Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that God has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.  We are made to know God, and have a relationship with Him, but our minds are not capable of understanding everything.  In this same verse, Solomon says that God has made everything beautiful for its own time.  That doesn't mean all at the same time.  The Apostle Paul also talked about this in Philippians when he said that God will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns (Phil. 1:6).

It's very easy for us, especially in the fast-paced technology-driven culture we live in today, to want it all now.  I still struggle with this quite a bit, particularly with my schoolwork.  I still have 2 years to go before I finish my Bachelor's degree, but I am already starting to think about what I'm going to do after.  Well I can't do anything after until I finish this first.  There's nothing wrong with being prepared for the future, but not at the expense of the moment.  The more we focus on things we can't control, the more the things in front of us will suffer.  God doesn't want that for us.

He has great and mighty things for us (Jeremiah 33:3).  His plans for us are to prosper us and give us a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11).  If our prayer in the morning is, "Dear Lord, give me all I need now," maybe we should start over.  I have to take time out throughout my day to pray and ask God to give me wisdom to get me through the moment (it's a good stress reliever), forget about the rest of the day, week, month, or years.  During my busy season at work, stress levels are usually very high.  It's very easy to want to pray and ask God to fast forward to the end of June when it will be all over.  But that won't grow my faith.  Only praying for God's guidance, wisdom, and strength every day (and regularly throughout that day) will accomplish that.  Doing things one day at a time like this can be very difficult to accept, but well worth it.

Dear Father, thank You for providing for me every day.  Thank You for planting eternity in my heart so that I will come to know You more every day.  I know I get impatient that things don't happen fast enough for me, and for that I am sorry.  Help me to remember that You are in control, and You are working everything out for my benefit and Your glory because You love me.  I pray for those who are also struggling with impatience.  My prayer is that they will take a moment to breathe deep and focus on You, and feel Your Holy Spirit guiding them every step of the way, and faithfully providing for them day by day.  In Jesus' name, Amen!



God Bless!!!