So I have had many an open spoken out in bashing “miracle money,” the gifts of a car or property in the name of it being a manifestation of laziness and unwillingness to work for one’s own living. At the other end; is a zealous defence of the above mentioned which for this post I will call miracle-provision for the purposes of this post. To be honest, my post may seem more directed towards the detractors but really it is for everyone across the entire spectrum; because there is a middle ground that I believe we need to all be on.
The context of these thoughts I is the story of the Exodus of the nation of Israel from the nation of Egypt to the promised land. With further references to Elijah in the desert, the widow of Zarephath as well as the woman whose children were about to be taken because she could not pay off her debt. And in short, it can be summarised as simply this: the nation of Israel was called to live in the promised land; but between their present and their destiny was a barren land where any effort would have been futile.
In the promised land, the key to the provision of God would be simple-to till the land, to sow crops in season and trust God for the harvest and all that is necessary for a harvest to come. In the promised land, the land was more productive than normal; better than usual and all what had to do to access was to find a piece of land to cultivate or to rear crops.
In the desert however, this would have been futile. Any seed planted would have died; nothing would have grown and the labour would simply have made them weary and tired for no return. They needed the miracle provision in the form of manna; and the Pillar of cloud by day and fire by night just to survive. In the same manner,tilling her land was not going to help the widow of Zarephath survive a rainless 3 years; nor would it have saved Elijah-who for 3 years was saved by ravens. As well as the woman who was instructed to fill jars of oil to sell to clear her debt.
And I feel and would like to propose that on our way to experiencing the fullness of God’s provision, some of us metaphorically speaking are in Egypt; and others yet are still in the desert; and others are now in the promised land. The promised land being maybe you are progressing reasonably fast on the trajectory of the career you are pursuing; you love your job; your life and even then you have a testimony of how it is God that has taken you there—be it you had the right education and opportunities or perhaps you didn’t. The desert maybe being in a debt you cannot see yourself paying off either in your current 3 jobs; or worse yet you are unable to send your children to school inspite of your best efforts and of late they seem to be hanging around the “we like to get high ” crew.
Whatever it is; I feel there is a lack amongst us believers to recognize that whilst there is a promised land to reach; there are those amongst us for whom the methods of the promised land would simply not work-the place in life they are in simply will not allow it. And I also feel there is a desire that has crept in where believers are tempted to want to remain in the desert because manna falls there everyday; their miracle provision is guaranteed and all they really need to do is gather. Both of which are failures to recognize the grace and goodness of God as well as how we are made.
Instead, I feel we need to stop creating boxes for where the provision God gives must fit but rather, watch and learn with each new thing He does for us or another just how good and caring He really is. And at the same time, we need to realise that there is a promised land destiny where we will be able to boldly and happily proclaim that the labour of my hands is abundantly blessed—and that the call out of Egypt though it may pass us through a desert; is actually to a promised land where the laws of sowing and reaping apply and the harvest is bountifully blessed by God.
Selah