8-16-2017

Good Morning All,

                  Numbers 11:31; “Then a wind from the Lord sprang up, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day's journey on this side and a day's journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the ground.”

      I was talking to a friend the other day.  He is one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet.  He would do anything to help you out.  Yet he is one of those guys who never seem to catch a break in life.  He farms, but not the best land around.  It seems he gets hailed on a lot of the time.  His equipment isn’t the newest around.  His wife isn’t the healthiest person so she visits the doctor quite often.  He works hard but doesn’t seem to get ahead.  Yet despite all this, he is content.  He will tell you of the beauty of a sunrise or the miracle of the birth of a new calf.  His faith is strong.  He will tell you that God is bigger than any problem he has so he can sleep knowing things are under control.

    So do you think that God is bigger than any problem that you have?  It is a more difficult thing to think about.  If you and your spouse are struggling to find the love for each other and it feels like your partner has thrown in the towel, is God bigger than that?  If your health or the health of a loved one is beginning to wane, is God bigger than that?  As we watch the news and see all the hatred and distrust, is God really bigger than that?

    Our verse is about a time in Israel’s history when many questioned God’s ability and judgment.  They questioned why God brought them out of Egypt just to die in the desert.  They had all witnessed the miraculous rescue from Pharaoh’s army and now they questioned God.  So God gave them a sign or maybe even a sign and a half.  Within the Hebrew tradition, a “day’s journey” was about 15-20 miles.  So the camp is surrounded by quail, there for the picking, over an area that is over 700 square miles and over those 700 square miles the quail are three feet deep.  In a few verses after this, we are told that everyone who gathered picked up 10 homers of quail.  A homer is about the size of a fifty gallon barrel. 

    The people of Israel questioned whether God could feed them, so God fed them in an amazing fashion.  God was far bigger than their problems and he is bigger than any of our problems as well.  We may not see it, feel it or even fully believe it; but God is bigger than any problem that we have.  So he gives us the power and the courage to face the battles head on; knowing that God will not let these battles destroy us or his love for us.  God is bigger.  His love for you spans farther than the east is from the west.  God is bigger. His comfort for you, his grace for you is beyond any measure.  God is bigger and he is bigger so that you may have life.  He is bigger so we have hope.  So we face the challenges knowing that, when all is said and done, God is faithful to us and to his promises.  His grace will never fail.

Father, we give you thanks for the grace you give to us.  You are our rock and our place of refuge.  Be with those who are battling at this time.  Give them hope for a better day and comfort in their struggle now.  Guard and protect them.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret