Scripture

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna… Deuteronomy 8:3

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Deuteronomy 8:10-14

Observation
There is a pattern in God’s ways of dealing with us. First, he blesses us by denying us comforts of life. The hairy shirt ordeals of life draw prayers out of us. At first we pray for stuff, but if we pray long enough we start to pray about ourselves and if we pray even longer we start to cry out for the Lord himself. About a mile or two after we’ve said “enough”, the Lord shows up and blesses us by giving us more than we ever asked for. Abundance falls like manna. The drought turns into a flood. Grace abounds.

I saw this pattern of God yesterday in talking to a young dad at church. He was so excited, because after 9 months of joblessness, living in a cramped apartment, God showed up. His wife got a huge raise. He got a job. And both of them got a much bigger house. As he spoke, I thought of this principle of austerity then abundance.

Application
I need to keep the memories of scarcity close to my heart so that in times of abundance I do not loose sight of what matters. Moses advised the people to “praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you” so that they would never forget who got them there. So today I make a memorial not to my successes, but to the hard days. There have been days of living without a paycheck. There have been days of sickness. There have been dead-end, dirty jobs. There have been unfair conditions. These too were the blessings of God. And while I remember them, I give thanks to God for bringing me to Bothell, to Evergreen, to new friends and new potentials.

Prayer
Father, this day I praise you for your wise leadership of my life and your sustaining presence leading me home. Amen.