We want what we want. Even to our detriment, we will crave and obsess over what we think we must have. It may start as a harmless interest. Maybe it’s a new hobby that we would like to master. Sometimes we decide to incorporate a new habit into our lives that would be healthy or beneficial. Even in our spiritual lives we may feel like we need to be better fed and cared for. If these things are just out of our reach we feel like our lives could be better if only…
Other times something less wholesome sneaks its way into our list of things we think we need. We feel there’s been some injustice done to us and we must set it right. We notice that people in a similar station of life are living better than we are…more stuff, nicer homes, big vacations, better health, more connection to friends and family, and so on. We feel cheated and make it our goal to catch up on some level.
We may even feel that God owes us. We deserve better than we got. Somehow, we got overlooked in this or that department, and He should fix it.
We are like the Israelites after leaving Egypt. They had seen miracle after miracle in how God had delivered them. They had received His Law. They had a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night to lead them. God spoke directly to the man appointed to lead them.
Yet they were never satisfied. They wanted meat, but God had already given them manna. It arrived every morning except on the Sabbath. They could collect double the day before. A miracle that happened before their eyes every single morning, but they wanted what they wanted. They missed the meat, melons, leeks, and vegetables they had in Egypt where they had been slaves.
They refused to really see what God gave them every day and be grateful for it. There was nothing sinful about what they wanted, but it was rebellion to not be satisfied and grateful for what God was giving them. They were even willing to return to slavery in order to get what they wanted.
How often do we lose sight of what God is giving us this very day, this very moment, and just focus on the things we want and do not have?
Maybe we blame the system, maybe a boss, maybe a family member, maybe a spiritual leader, maybe a coworker, maybe a friend, maybe ourselves, maybe God Himself. This craving, this greed fuels anger and resentment and makes our lives miserable. It brings us into a bondage and prison that overtakes our lives.
The freedom and abundance we long for can never be found in satisfying the want lists in our lives. It can only be found in living life God’s way. The way of gratitude, humility, and trust. We surrender our lives to Him and receive all He gives us with thankfulness. His way is better. His way is easier. His way is lighter. It lets us see and enjoy everything around us with different eyes. It allows us to love the people around us and want the best for them, too. It helps us extend grace and patience and forgiveness because we realize how much He has forgiven us.
We are already living inside the miracle of His love and provision and kingdom. We need to let Him open our eyes to see it. Take a step back and quiet the noise of the world and even of our own minds, and let His Spirit well up and fill the spaces that have been so empty for so long. Receive the manna He supplies from His very own hand, personally, and be satisfied and filled.
Numbers 11:1-9; Psalm 78:17-32; Psalm 81; Proverbs 15:15-16; James 1:17;
Ephesians 3:14-21; Ephesians 4:20-24; Philippians 4:4-8; Colossians 3:1-4;
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
His Unfolding Grace 