In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” (Exodus 16:1–3, NIV 1984).
The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. (Exodus 2:23–25, NIV 1984).
My Musings – I think it is not entirely unusual for us to remember our past circumstances in light of our current circumstances. The Israelites grumbled in the desert because of their hunger, complaining that it compared unfavorably to how well they had it back in Egypt. In the process, they conveniently forgot about their groaning under the yoke of slavery.
Before we hastily criticize them for their short-term memory lapse, consider how often our faith weakens during difficult circumstances, while we forget about the many times He has provided in the past. That does not even count the numbers of times He delivered us from things we never even learned about.
My Advice – Here is some timely advice from Irving Berlin.
When I’m worried and I can’t sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings.
And, I might add, don’t forget to give thanks to Him who provided the blessings.
