God is Enough!

"Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho.  And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year. "  Joshua 5:10-12

 As I reflect on my 28th year of life, I can only think about how wonderful God has been to me.  Has He spoiled me with everything I've wanted. Absolutely not. I'm glad that He didn't. He has always given me what I've needed and you know what, serving God has been enough for me. I don't need mansions, fine jewelry, fancy cars, and other material goods to fill me. I have Him. I don't need fame, and the world's acceptance.  I have Jesus Christ. He is enough.  Having this understanding makes me the richest woman in the world!  :)
     Having said this, during the Israelites' journey in the wilderness, God provided them with manna. Manna literally means "What is it?"  Manna was similar to coriander seed, white, and tasting like wafers made with honey. It is described as occurring in flakes or small round grains.   It was nothing fancy, but it was enough to keep the Israelies going. Manna signified that God took care of his people, providing for all of their needs.  Furthermore, God would provide the fresh manna from heaven on a daily basis. You may wonder why God only provided manna when He could have given them the finer foods.  He is God afterall, right?  I suppose that He wanted them them to save their appetite for their arrival in Canaan. Canaan was a land of blessing and abundance. It also contained an abundance of food. In my opinion, God wanted to create in the Israelites an anticipation for Canaan.  He knew that wilderness and manna experience would make their arrival in Canaan that much more sweeter. Yet, we find that the Israelites continued to murmur against God,

"...and the children of Israel also wept again and said, who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: but now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes" (Numbers 11:4-6).

    Instead of seeing what God was doing for them, God's people chose to see what God wasn't doing for them.  Their attitude showed how ungrateful they were towards His daily provision. Indirectly, they were telling God that He was not enough for them. We read that God's anger was kindled against the Israelites.  God ended up giving them so much quail, that it came right out of their noses (Numbers 11:33).  Yet, eventually, in God's perfect timing, the Israelites arrived in Canaan.  The Bible says that with their arrival, the quail ceased and the people ate from the food of the land or the abundance of the land. 
     My "pearl" to you today is that God is more than enough.  He can satisfy your longing heart. He is our true manna. He feeds the hunger inside of us. His body, which was sacrificed on Calvary, made it so that we never have to go hungry again.  Just like God provided daily manna for the Israelites, God also provides for us on a daily basis.   He doesn't expect His people to live on past blessings, but He provides a fresh batch of grace each day. Each day, fresh from the oven are God's sweet and tender mercies and provision. He allows us to experience Him and all of His fulness.  Yet, don't we often find ourselves telling God we want more. Lord, if I could just have that new car, or get that great job, or find that great guy or girl, my life would be complete. Lord, if I could just take that trip or look like this, and lose this weight, I would be truly happy. The truth is, those things, even though not wrong in themselves, would never fill the hunger inside of us. Only the presence of God can fill us.  God wants us to long for Him more than anything else in this life, but so many times, we push Him away.  We don't necessarily do this with words, but we do this by exalting other things in our lives.  Eventually, God does rain on us physical blessings (ie. houses, cars, careers, family, marriage etc), but what is most important is still Him. You will always remember those times when you were dead broke, but He was there for you and lifted your head up. You will remember those days of being single, but you had Him and delighted in His presence. You will remember those time during your college years when you had little money and food, but God was enough for you. You will remember when you were homeless, but God gave you a roof over your head, even if it was a homeless shelter. Guess what? He was enough for you even then.  You may still be in your wilderness, but remember, God is enough. Eventually, you will reach Canaan (on this earth and in eternity) and the food of the land will be in abundance.  However, right here, right now, God is enough and you need nothing more.