READ Psalm 78:17–25. 17 But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High. 18 They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. 19 They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really spread a table in the wilderness? 20 True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly, but can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his people?” 21 When the LORD heard them, he was furious; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel, 22 for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance. 23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens; 24 he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven. 25 Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.
TESTING GOD. In the wilderness the people demanded more signs and proofs of God’s love for them, as if the deliverance from Egypt hadn’t been enough. “Put[ting] God to the test” (verse 18) is one of the essential impulses of the human heart. No matter what God has done for us, our heart says, “But what have you done for me lately?” The evil of this is that we reverse places with God. We put him on probation, making our relationship conditional on how well we think he performs. But God created the universe with a word of his power, and even the galaxies are like dust before him. Is this the kind of person you ask into your life to be your personal assistant?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, how can I obey and love you conditionally when you loved me unconditionally? You looked down from the cross and saw us betraying, denying, forsaking you, and yet you stayed. Help me to cling to you and obey you no matter what. Amen.