What We Don't Have

As the children of Israel journeyed through the wilderness, God miraculously provided for them and gave them all that they had need of. Being in a wilderness, in a place of lack and scarcity was not an obstacle to God’s power or his provision.

They had provisions—

Food—rained down from heaven day after day.

Water—supplied even by miracle if necessary from a rock.

They had protection.

God kept them form the power of their enemies and gave them victory over them.

They had the presence of the Lord.

A cloud by day and a fire by night

He guided them to where he wanted them.

Rather than concentrating on what they had, they looked at what they did not have.

This is very dangerous but it is also very prevalent. Don’t we tend to do the same thing? Don’t we whine and gripe because certain things aren’t happening while totally overlooking all that God is doing?

1. When we focus on what we don’t have, we ignore the things we do have—vv. 4.

2. When we look only at what we have, we distort the memories of the past—v. 5.

3. When we long for what we don’t have, we begin to despise what we do have--vv. 6.

4. When we fail to recognize what God has given us, we displease Him—v. 10.