Moses, Manna, and Me

It always surprises me when one of the great leaders in the Bible seems to lack faith. I understand they are human; they have failures just like I do. But I constantly find myself expecting more from them than I do myself. In Numbers 11, we find Moses having a bad day. The people were grumbling at him (and at God) because they were tired of eating manna.

Then Moses grumbled at God too. It is one thing to prayerfully let the Lord know what is bothering you, it is quite another to say, “So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once…!“ (Numbers 11:15). When I first read this, I was actually shocked at how calmly the Lord replied to Moses.

Next the Lord promises Moses that the people shall have meat to eat. But Moses (same guy who brought the plagues to Egypt and then parted the Red Sea on God’s behalf!) couldn’t understand where God would get enough meat to actually make that happen. “Should all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?” (Numbers 11:22). It is as if Moses is saying, “Hey, there aren’t enough fish in the oceans!”

But I love God’s reply in verse 23, “Is the Lord’s power limited?” And then, of course, the rest of the chapter is the story of how He did just exactly as He said He would and the people all ate meat!

But here’s an application question from this Old Testament story: What is it that you think God can’t do for you? In Luke 8:22-25, we find the disciples being overcome with fear as their boat was taking on water and being tossed about in the fierce storm. Is there a “storm” in your life right now that just seems too big and too fierce for the Lord Jesus to bring under control?