Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 78:25-31
Ps 78:25-31
Men ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat. He let loose the east wind from the heavens and led forth the south wind by his power. He rained meat down on them like dust, flying birds like sand on the seashore. He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents. They ate till they had more than enough, for he had given them what they craved. But before they turned from the food they craved, even while it was still in their mouths, God's anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel.
Matt 4:1-4
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
I often get a chuckle from the understatements found in scripture. “Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” Can you even imagine fasting for this long? Can you imagine how hungry you would be at the end of this time? Jesus was human and he was hungry, starving, and desperate for food. But even in this condition, he did not let his physical need displace his spiritual concern.
The Israelites in the wilderness were hungry. They wanted food to eat. It did not compare to the hunger of Jesus, but they were very hungry. When God gave them the manna to eat, it was great, but they soon grew tired of eating the same thing every day and began to grumble again. He gave them meat and they gorged themselves so much that God became angry and killed many of them.
The real problem was their lack of faith. They just didn’t believe that God could really supply enough food for all the multitude to eat (probably around a million people in this crowd). But he had already parted the Red Sea, he had defeated the Egyptian army, and he had supplied water from a rock. We have every reason to trust God today in every part of our lives. Do we really believe he is able?
O Lord, what a blessing to know that you love me. Increase my faith and take away my doubt, my fear, and my anxieties. Use me as your servant as I serve others. I know that I can do nothing without you and your strength in my life, so fill me with your Spirit and his power. Forgive me when I fail and give me self-control to overcome my temptations and my weaknesses. Be with your people, wherever we my live in this world, that we can all be one in Jesus. In his name I pray.
Robert
