God’s Mighty Arm

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power?”

Numbers 11:23 (NLT)

Moses was perplexed. The Israelites were tired of manna. They wanted meat. So God told Moses He would give them meat for a whole month till they gagged on it and grew sick of it. Moses countered with a head count of people versus a head count of cattle. Even if they butchered all their flocks and herds, that wouldn’t be enough to feed everyone for a whole month. If the sea yielded all its fish, there still wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the people.           

Moses had witnessed time and again God’s miraculous power. Yet his focus was on the problem instead of the Provider. The disciples made the same mistake when Jesus asked them to feed the crowd that had gathered to hear him speak. How could five small barley loaves and two fish feed thousands of people? Focus trumped faith.

 How often we do the same. When the math doesn’t add up, when there’s more month than money, when we brainstorm ideas and weigh options then come up wanting, we are tempted to focus on the mountain instead of taking it to The Mountain Mover. We put God in a box, curbing His power to what we can wrap our minds around or what we can see in the physical realm. But God is not restricted by physical boundaries. If He could part the waters, He can certainly defy the laws of nature.

The God who provided for His children in the past is the same God who provides our daily bread. This is not a simplistic approach, a platitude, or ‘the Christian thing to say.’ Our family has witnessed God’s miraculous provision many, many times. Provisions that have left us speechless.

His power is the same today as it was in the past. His arm is still as mighty as it was in the days of Moses. If God has promised to care for us (and He has), then we can rest assured He will act on our behalf. What really matters is not our own strength, assets, and abilities, but His. So put away the calculator – He’s got this.

Thought: “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.” – Hudson Taylor

For further reading:

• John 6:1-14
• Matthew 6: 25-33
• Isaiah 59:1
• Luke 1:37

Excerpt from my devotional, A Year in God’s Classroom

https://a.co/d/6vUI23b