In the desert, the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. Exodus 16:2 NIV
“Everything is set for your rental car, Mr. Pearson,” the clerk said. “I just need to see your driver’s license.”
“Sure,” he said, as he pulled his license out of his wallet.
“Your license isn’t valid. It expired six months ago.”
“No problem. We can rent it in my wife’s name,” he said. “Diane, come over here and give her your license.”
I handed the clerk my license and listened in horror as she said, “Your license expired a month ago. Sorry, but we can’t rent you a car without valid licenses.”
There we were at the airport in Florida for a week’s vacation, expecting to come and go as we pleased, drive leisurely down the coast, on no one else’s time schedule. We called a friend in the area, who came to our rescue (and laughed all the way to the airport). He drove us to our rental house and graciously offered to drive us wherever we wanted to go that week. But we grumbled about our loss of freedom. We didn’t want to depend on someone else.
Exodus tells the story of the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness for forty years, completely dependent on God for food, water, and their daily needs. They grumbled a lot about it too. Instead of thankfulness to God for the miracle of daily life-sustaining food (manna from heaven), they complained about the menu. Why do we have to eat manna again today?
The source of their complaints was not the menu. It was the loss of freedom to be in control of their own lives.
With access to life’s modern conveniences (like cars) and smorgasbords of food with endless choices, it’s easy to think we are in control. It’s good to be humbled occasionally, to be reminded that we aren’t in charge of our lives, God is.
God takes us to unexpected places when He’s in control. He provides us with things we never imagined. Let God take control. He’ll steer you in the right direction.
Diane Pearson is a Christian writer, speaker, and teacher from Frankfort, IN, with more than 500 published articles and devotions. She writes a newspaper column, Real-Life Devotions, true stories of God working in people’s lives. Her speaking ministry is based on true stories of God’s miracle-working power. Contact Diane at dipearson@comcast.net or www.dianepearson.org.
Read Diane’s devotions.
