Will we have enough?
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After convincing Moses that he was the one to lead Israel out of captivity, God began the long and difficult process of convincing the people that He was going to free them from Egypt. God gave Moses signs and wonders to take with him to convince the Israelites that God was with them and even after seeing these great signs Israel struggled with their faith in God. Then came the plagues which were no doubt just as convincing for Israel as they were for Egypt. Israel saw each and every plague that God sent upon Egypt and with each plague their faith became just a little stronger. The peak of the plagues being the death of the first born in which all of the Israelite first born were spared when they obeyed God by spreading the blood of the Passover lamb on the door.
Then came the day that they were to leave Egypt. I have no doubts that many of the Israelites were very anxious this day, however they found within themselves the faith to leave Egypt. Even though they were in captivity and slaves in Egypt, it was all they had known as Israel had been in captivity for several generations. Shortly after leaving Egypt, they once again saw the power of God as they crossed the Red Sea. God would not have led them out of Egypt just to be overrun and killed by Pharaoh’s men in the wilderness. God parted the waters and allowed for safe passage.
In the wilderness God provided them with manna, quail, and water. The huge nation of Israel marching through the wilderness did not starve or die of thirst because God continually provided for them. It was God’s will that the Israelites get to the promised land and God made every provision for His will to be accomplished.
Over and over again God provided for the nation of Israel. Their food, water, supplies, clothing, and even their military success was directly attributed to the power of God. However, the lack of trust that Israel had for God never ceases to amaze me. Many of them doubted Moses even after seeing the signs. They doubted God’s ability to part the Red Sea. They doubted God’s ability to provide water in the wilderness. They doubted God’s ability to feed them...and then complained about the food God gave them. They doubted God’s ability to provide them with military success. Every step of the way they doubted God. Can you imagine the power the nation would have had if they had completely trusted in God? At every turn they were limited by their lack of trust in God. What they failed to realize was that it was God’s will that they leave Egypt and take the promised land. Therefore NOTHING could stop them from that if they just trusted in God.
In like way, God’s power through providence works in today’s world. His work and His will can be accomplished and will be accomplished through us if we trust in Him. We must trust that the way He has commanded is right and will work. We must trust that the power of His word will accomplish what He intended when we spread that word. We must realize that when we do God’s work in God’s way, we will never lack supply. God will always provide. The only limiting factor is our faith. Do we trust God enough to step out on faith and allow Him to accomplish His will through our lives?