The Lord Provides

Scripture: Exodus 16:4-5
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”

Observation:
The Lord is providing food for the Israelites and He is testing them with the Sabbath preparation to see if they will obey His laws or not.

Application:
How many times have I been tested and not realized it? As Sabbath is approaching do I prepare for the day or do I find that my time is taken up doing other things that I deem important? When that has happened I have discovered that I miss the blessing that the Lord wanted me to have on that day. The Lord wants to spend time with me and I need to make time for Him. He is the most important, not the least important. The things that I "think" need to be done can wait. I have heard the saying, " the Ox is in the ditch" used as an excuse for continuing to be unprepared. Well the question should be asked, "How did the Ox get in the ditch?" Did I place him there or was it an unforeseen occurrence? If I am placing my "Ox in the ditch" because I have delayed preparing until the last minute, then I am breaking God's law. If on the other hand my "Ox is in the Ditch" because of some unexpected occurrence, then I am free to gather whatever I may need to accommodate the situation. There is a good book that I have been reading that helps me take control of Sabbath preparation, it's called, "Oh No, It's Sabbath Again and I'm Not Ready!" by Yara Cerna Young. I highly recommend this book to anyone who may struggle in this area.

Prayer:
Dear Lord forgive me for the times when I have failed the test you have given me. Help me to prioritize my time so that I can be ready for the Sabbath time with You. Help me understand that You will provide everything I need. In Jesus Name Amen.