God’s Decision For Provision

Psalms 78:17–31
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In yesterdays passage we shared with you four of the six reasons given in the first 22 verses of this chapter that can cause us to become dissatisfied with our relationship with God. Below you will find the last two reasons:

1. We become dissatisfied with God when He doesn’t jump through the hoops we set for Him to jump through. “And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust” (v. 18). “Yea, they spake against God: they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness” (v. 19)? We may say, “If you want me to serve you God you need to make my mother well.” or “If you want me to tithe you will need to give me a pay raise.”
2. We become dissatisfied with God when we have allowed our hearts to turn so cold we cannot turn to Him. “Because they believed not in God and trusted not in His salvation” (v. 22). There are people who know that they need to turn to God but they are so angry at Him that they are miserable. Instead of dealing with their cold heart they express anger.

Asaph told how the Israelites murmured first with the Lord sending fire (vv. 21-22); then by showering them with manna (vv. 23-25), and then with the meat of quails driven by southeast winds (vv. 26-29). Unfortunately, many of God’s people are betweeners who are living between Egypt and Canaan. They have been delivered from bondage by the blood of the lamb, but they have never entered into their inheritance. They believe that Jesus died on the cross, but they are not living in the power of His resurrection. This was the case of the people of Israel in this passage (vv. 23-31).

Application

My greatest need is to believe God. I don’t need to live by explanations; I can live by His promises. Lord, when I hear your voice don’t let me harden my heart!