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Like much of the Bible, reading through the first half of Exodus is not for the faint of heart! The Israelites find themselves oppressively enslaved in Egypt; God miraculously preserves Moses’ life and later calls him to stand down Pharaoh. In response to Pharaoh’s hard heart, ten awful plagues come to Egypt at the hand of God, and in an amazing climax God leads His people out of Egypt and through the Red Sea, sending Pharaoh and his army to a watery grave in the process.
Talk about a cross-cultural adventure.
As the Israelites begin their journey after crossing the Red Sea, we’d expect morale to be flying high. But just after they set off, we hear them grumble because of a lack of water. Again and again. God continues to provide, but they continue to grumble.
In our pride we condemn their discontentment. How can they be so quick to grumble? Do they not remember God’s powerful displays in Egypt and at the Red Sea? How can they be so dense?
But if we’re honest with ourselves, we quickly realize that the seeds of grumbling grow in our hearts too and that we often are not too far removed from these Israelites. In spite of the Lord’s great provision for us time after time, we grumble. We forget.
Discontentment is surely linked to forgetfulness. When we fail to remember how God has provided for us, we grow discontent with our current situations. Worry and stress creep in, but discontentment silently lurks under them. What I have right now can’t possibly be the best for me.
The Israelites had real struggles, and we often do, too. Being content doesn’t mean we minimize the hard parts of life or brush them aside. But the fight for contentment includes remembering the ways God has previously met our needs or met us in our needs, the biggest of those needs being met at the cross. Living cross-culturally can cultivate fertile soil for discontentment relating to our families, our ministries, our co-workers, etc. But surely this cross-cultural life we lead also offers a myriad of opportunities to remember and reflect upon God’s past provisions, both big and small.
Will you take a moment today to remember?
In Psalm 34:8-10, we read about tasting and seeing that the Lord is good and about those who fear the Lord not lacking any good thing. In what areas of life are you tempted to believe that you lack something (as the Israelites in Exodus did), and how would having a clearer view of God’s goodness combat that wrong belief?
I’m often tempted to believe that I lack something when I compare myself, my gifts, or my ministry to the gifts and ministries of others. I see myself as lacking and can be envious of the perceived successes or giftings of others. I believe the lie that somehow God hasn’t sufficiently provided for me. But when I stop to remember His ultimate provision for me on the cross and His daily provisions for me over the years, the discontentment withers and the joy of contentment returns.