The Lord spread a cloud above them as a covering and gave them a great fire to light the darkness. They asked for meat, and he sent them quail; he satisfied their hunger with manna — bread from heaven. Psalm 105:39-40 (NLT)

Can you imagine getting up in the morning and finding that God has already prepared your breakfast? If I could see the manna spread out over the grass in my yard, not only would I be thinking, “Oh, wow, somebody else did the prep today!” but also, “Yay, no cleanup!”

However, I suspect that if I had to eat the same thing every morning for the foreseeable future, I’d be right there on the bench with the Israelite Team Grumblers. I’m not exactly into the whole let-somebody-else-decide-what-to-eat-every-morning thing, especially if it’s a constant diet of bread with nary a jar of jelly in sight!

What I am definitely into, though, is the thought that my God loves me enough to provide for my every need. That’s an awesome reality that I too often forget.

I don’t have to see manna spread on the ground every day to know that I cannot provide for my own needs, but it would certainly be a constant reminder. I desperately need to keep my mind centered on God and his never failing provision for me. Sadly, I often ignore the daily reminders he sends.

And it’s not just food he provides. He does that in great abundance, but he does so much more. As Nehemiah 9:19-21 tells us, “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing ….”

Even when we’re more like the Israelites than we’re willing to admit, he is faithful to give us everything we need. Not only does he provide for all our physical needs, he also gives us His good Spirit, he has great compassion on us, he lights our way, he never fails us, he never abandons us. In other words, we lack nothing.

When we stay focused on His unlimited provision for us, we can quit grumbling and put on our Team Grateful jerseys!

Father, forgive me when I grumble and complain. Help me to be grateful and praise you always for each blessing you shower on me. In the name of your precious Son, Jesus, Amen.