If only I could get my house organized, my life would be better. If only my kids would listen to me and behave more perfectly, then my life would be better. If only my husband or I could get that promotion and we had more money, then my life would be better. If only we could get in the right house or neighborhood, then my life would be better. If only I could get along with my mother-in-law, then my life would be better. Have you ever gotten yourself caught up in “if-only”ing? I know I have! It seems there is always something that we think we need or that we are asking God for or that is just beyond our reach and if we could get that thing, life would be so much better!
But the problem is that when you get that thing-the new house, the better job, the raise, the perfectly behaved children (let me know when you get that one!)-it doesn’t satisfy you like you thought it would. That is because there is only one thing that will COMPLETELY SATISFY you. That ONE THING is found in Lamentations 3:24 New American Standard Bible (italics mine):
‘The Lord is my portion‘, says my soul, ‘Therefore, I have hope in Him.’
And, also in Psalm 73:26 NASB (italics mine):
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
It is only GOD HIMSELF who will satisfy us. No perfect house, no perfectly behaved children, no perfect family, no perfect career, no perfect anything will satisfy us-only PEFECT GOD will satisfy the deepest yearning of our souls. GOD HIMSELF is our portion, the ONLY portion we need to satisfy our every longing.
Recently, I was reading in Exodus 16:16 where God told the Israelites to take “an Omer apiece” of Manna for each person, not enough for someone else, not enough for tomorrow, only for one person and only for today. Then in Exodus 16:32-33 God told Moses to put ONE OMER of MANNA in the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was kept in the temple and in between the two cherubim on top, the presence of God dwelt. There were only three items in the Ark of the Covenant: the second copy of the 10 Commandments, Aaron’s rod that budded, and ONE OMER of Manna. These three items must have each been very important to be the only three items placed in the Ark.
So why was only ONE OMER or ONE PORTION of Manna put in the Ark? Wouldn’t you think it would have been better to save a bigger portion, just in case some got lost? The Israelites were traveling A LOT. I know we have lost some things while traveling. But we see the reason why and exactly what the Manna represents in John 6:31-35 NASB (italics mine):
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty.
The Manna represents Jesus who is God’s BREAD OF LIFE for us. And we only need ONE PORTION and that is God Himself to satiate us. Note that the Israelites were to gather the Omer of Manna only enough for themselves and not for anyone else. Since they could only gather enough EACH FOR HIMSELF, so it is with knowing Jesus, the Bread of Life; each of us must have OUR OWN PORTION of the Bread of Life, of Jesus, and we cannot live off another person’s portion. We cannot live off another person’s faith-not off our parent’s faith, not off our spouse’s faith, not off our pastor’s faith, not off our church’s faith-only OUR OWN PORTION, only OUR OWN FAITH.
Let’s go back again to that ‘if-only’ing. What fruit does ‘if-only’ing bring you? Does that practice bear good fruit for you? I know that it definitely does not bear good fruit for me. So let’s stop ‘if-only’ing and instead
LET’S BE SATISFIED WITH GOD HIMSELF-OUR PORTION.
In His Love,
Suzanne
Mom Morsels 