Why Do We Give God Such a Difficult Time and Yet He Still Loves Us?
God has rarely enjoyed an easy time loving his chosen people. Given everything that God has done to fortify this relationship, we would think the opposite would be true. Right from the moment Adam and Eve began life in the Garden, trouble followed. The devil, disguised as a snake, easily persuaded both Eve and Adam to break Yahweh’s rule. Blaming each other for this failure, Yahweh banished them.
Later, in a tender moment, God reached out to a charming elderly couple, Abraham and Sarah, with a promise of their conceiving a thriving nation. Neither understood how and yet both remained faithful, and it did happen. God was pleased with their reliable responses to his different requests.
Then, when Jacob, Abraham and Sarah’s grandson, moved his family to Egypt during a famine, the real troubles between the chosen people and Yahweh deepened. When Jacob’s family and clan multiplied, the Egyptians became jealous of their wealth and prosperity. The Egyptians overwhelmed Yahweh’s chosen people and made them their slaves.
Yahweh heard their lamentations, distresses, and woes and through Moses’ leadership led them through a divided Red Sea to safety in the desert. It wasn’t long before the Israelite community once again started grumbling and moaning: “Why are we left in this desert to die?” And then adding these words: “At least we had food in Egypt.” They continued, “Here we have nothing, but sweltering heat and burning sand, which is slowly killing us.”
No words of gratitude arose from their hearts thanking Yahweh for their deliverance and constant protection. Once again, hearing their grousing, Yahweh stepped in to provide quail for their evening meal and manna with the morning dew. Instead of: “Thank you,” the Israelites pointed at the manna uttering, “What is this?” And with sarcasm declared, “How happy we were in the good old days in Egypt.” What distorted memories the chosen people formed? They would rather have stayed enslaved in Egypt, with all the suffering it entailed, than risk accepting the freedom Yahweh was leading them towards. Have they, like all of us at times, spent their reserves and their diminishing hope for despair?
When the Israelites lost their enthusiasm for risking any more future challenges, they took comfort in a make-believe past. Why, when facing a bleak future, do we replace past reality with fantasy simply to make it more acceptable?
Unlike these Israelites, when moments arise where we cannot meet a life-changing situation, let’s not waste precious present moments hiding in a non-existent past yielding a false nostalgia. A better way is to remember that our loving God sent a savior. He gave his son that we might live. Jesus Christ created and entered into a lasting relationship with us.
Why would our God fail us now in this and every present moment? That’s a good question. God won’t. God simply fuels our spiritual vitality with deeper faith and greater trust. God’s providence never fails. It may arrive in a least expected way, but it always brings what we need.
