Keep Walking..

The whole Israelite community complained against Moses and Aaron in the desert. The Israelites said to them, “Oh, how we wish that the Lord had just put us to death while we were still in the land of Egypt. There we could sit by the pots cooking meat and eat our fill of bread. Instead, you’ve brought us out into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “I’m going to make bread rain down from the sky for you. The people will go out each day and gather just enough for that day. In this way, I’ll test them to see whether or not they follow my Instruction.” Exodus 16:2-4 In his collection of poems Standing by Words, Wendell Berry wrote, “It may be that when we no longer know what to do we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go we have come to our real journey.” The Israelites were in a crucial place in their journey to move forward into a new future or go back to what they had always known. It took Israel about five seconds to realize how uncomfortable things would get before God was finished forming them into the people God had intended since creation. Honestly, it might have been easier for Moses and Aaron to lead them back to Egypt, maybe grab a sandwich on the way! But they would never take their true place as God’s community of love and justice. They would miss out on the journey that God had for them to the promise land. The work of becoming who God is calling you to be leads often to a place of pain or uncertainty. And yet when has God ever abandoned you to it? Your belly may burn, but God will sustain you with bread from heaven, and you’ll know you’re on the right track. The hardest part about the Journey with God is that you are never quite sure where it will lead but if we have faith and trust we can be certain that God will provide everything we need just when we need it. Sometimes all we need to do is just keep walking and know that we are not walking alone. Prayer: May your journey closer to God be one of discovery and may you know that God is always the one who provides when we are in need. May you just keep walking in faith and trust the One who provides. Amen!