daily spiritual reflection - mar. 21

daily spiritual reflection

[missed a reflection? find them all at http://yalerockslent.blogspot.com ]

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: 

He spread out a cloud as a covering,

and a fire to give light at night.

They asked, and he brought them quail;

he fed them well with the bread of heaven.

He opened the rock, and water gushed out;

it flowed like a river in the desert.

For he remembered his holy promise

given to his servant Abraham.

 -- Psalm 105:39-42

THOUGHT: This psalm is essentially a poem recounting the history of God freeing the Israelites (a group of people who were enslaved in Egypt for hundreds of years, before God led Moses to take them out, according to the Old Testament). After they were set free, they spent a long time following God through the desert. During that time, he appeared, leading them as a cloud, and as fire. Also during that time, the Bible recounts how God provided 'manna' a special kind of bread-food that appeared each day for them to eat. 

Something special about this bread from heaven was that God never wanted his people to be weighed down by it, nor did he want them to be tempted to hoard it and thus create inequalities and selfish greed among each other, so he made a few rules about it. People were not allowed to take more of the bread than they needed for their household for any given day (except for the day before the Sabbath, when they could prepare to take a day of rest), and if they did try to hoard it up, it would rot and go bad. God understood that these his children still had some weaknesses (tendency to hoard things in fear of insecurity, tendency to value each other not for humanity but for how much they possess, etc) that they needed to grow in, so he promised to be their faithful provider as they grew in learning to trust him in that role, and as they strengthened their hearts against temptations of greed and fear to be a stronger, more God-like people.

This psalm takes the time to celebrate God's "holy promise." The God of the Bible makes many promises to us his people, and this psalm talks specifically about the two promises that (1) he will provide us with what we need and (2) he will listen to and answer our prayers. Of course, what we think we need may be different than what God knows we need, and he may answer our prayers with a question or a challenge rather than an easy 'yes' answer, but think about how important that faithfulness to keep promises is, and how essential it is to the character of a God worth trusting or following.

CHALLENGE:  Take the time today to make a few lists:

1. The things you need... challenge yourself with each thing (think of physical, emotional, spiritual needs) and see if you really need it-- you may discover that you are unsure of your own limits of need and necessity. 

**Would you be willing to trust a faithful God with knowing these needs when you don't?

2. The insecurities and fears you have when you think of being on your own and providing for yourself-- where are your safety nets? What are you counting on for the future? Money in savings? Your education? Your parents? Your lifestyle? Do you have fears about not having enough, not being successful, etc? Do these fears weigh you down, or make you value/measure other people a certain way?

** How would having a faithful God who promises to provide change these fears?

3. The things you want, that God could answer in prayer (don't just think of material things, think about maybe wanting more happiness or peace in your life, or wanting your friendships to grow in some way, or wanting your little brother to get along better with your parents, etc.)

**Try asking God for these things, not by leaving a list near the chimney (not a santa clause God), but by taking the time to talk to him about each one and express why it is a desire of your heart.