Meatloaf and Manna

Have you ever been to a dinner table and heard the expression "Oh no…meatloaf again" (feel free to insert your own dish here)? The Israelites complained about eating manna every day and not having meat to eat (Numbers 11:6). They were so frustrated that they claimed they would be better off back in Egypt (Numbers 11:18). Obviously, the Israelites were so frustrated that they forgot that God delivered them from Egypt by parting the Red Sea and drowning the Egyptian army (Exodus 14:26-31) and the promised land still to be given to them (Exodus 4:16-17).

Before we say that we would never be like that, how often do we say how much better things would be if God would only give us this or that? What is it in your case…a raise, a promotion, a fancier car, a nicer place to live, more or better friends, a husband/wife, a child…something else? Have we forgotten what God has already done for us (John 3:16) and what He has promised to do for us (Jeremiah 29:11, John 14:1-4)?

The funny thing about thinking that anything other than God will complete our joy is that it will always leave us wanting more. Wyatt Earp asked in the movie Tombstone, "What makes a man like Ringo, Doc, makes him do the things he does?" To which Doc Holliday answers, "A man like Ringo got a has great empty hole running right through the middle of him...he can never kill enough, or steal enough, or inflict enough pain to ever fill it." Only God can make the joy of our salvation complete (Psalm 51:12) and our obedience to His commands allows us remain in His love (John 15:9-11).