God tests us with abundance...

In our study this week we see how God gives the Israelites "bread from heaven" to test whether they will follow his commands.

From the beginning of the Bible in Genesis, I have caught myself wondering WHY God does what He does. Seriously, why put the forbidden fruit in the middle of the garden anyway?

The same with the manna, couldn't God have simply given only enough for the one day, why send more if the Israelites weren't allowed to store it?! The why question is answered in the Bible, because God was testing them, and He tests us too.

I have a friend who is very comfortable in life, financially her family is well off, and she admits that she doesn't want for much.

I have never heard her celebrating her wealth. I have never heard her say, "well, we work hard and that is how we get what we want" or "we've just figured out a way to make money and it works for us".

Nope, her very attitude shows thru in the way she talks about God, she knows that her wealth is from God, that all they have is His, and without Him all that stuff means nothing.

She often explains that when one is not struggling financially, it's hard to remember to trust in God. Things just go along smoothly in life, which is great, yet she is always aware that, their family has been given wealth by God, and that they need to trust Him for everything and not start relying on themselves, or congratulating themselves on their success.

Honestly, having grown up in a family that struggled financially at times, and finding myself a single mom at age 21 with 2 kids to feed, the thought that of having things "too good" financially was kind of a joke to me.

And just like I tend to do once in a while with Bible stories, I wonder WHY???? Why are some people given everything in life while others have nothing God, I don't get it!

A while ago my wealthy friend told me that she was having a hard time with one of her kids, I started to say, "Oh I'm so sorry to hear that!" but she cut me off. She told me she believed that God was reminding her to trust Him, that it was good for their family to rely on God thru this hard time.

Wow, what a true believer right?!

I mean, okay, after the fact sometimes we "see" the "why" of what God is doing in our lives, but right there in the middle of it, she could see that God was testing her, to trust Him with her family, with her children.

Wow, such an inspiration my friend is to me. To always know that God loves me, not just when I'm getting what I want, but also when things go wrong. To believe that God has my best interest at heart no matter the "test" at hand.

Thank you God for giving me a friend to serve as an example of a godly woman, though blessed by you in wonderful ways, she does not forget you, or take the credit for herself, and in the middle of a "test" she can see you working in her life to challenge and teach her to always rely on You. Thank you for godly friends. In your Son, Amen