An omer of manna

"Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord, to be kept throughout your generations."  (Exodus 16:33)

  When the Israelites grumbled about starving to death in the wilderness, God didn't respond like most fallible humans would.  God didn't look upon the Israelites with scorn in his heart, like a child who had just watched a bully knock an ice cream cone to the ground.  God didn't cry out across the heavens in wonder at their ingratitude, like a parent whose child just asked for more.  When the people that God has rescued from slavery cried out in longing for the comforts of slavery, God demonstrated his boundless mercy and poured down manna from heaven.  Bread from God was at the door to their tents.

  In addition to feeding the people, God gave Moses a commandment.  He was to save some of the manna and put it in a jar for the purpose of reminding the people of what God did for them.  Throughout the generations, people would look upon the jar and remember God's gracious provision for them.  When they were tempted to wonder what God had done for them lately, the jar would remind them that God provides.

  I think we probably could use some jars of our own in this crazy world today.  How many times have you been tempted to ask, God, where have you been lately?  In a world of instant gratification, when things don't live up to our expectations, we need an explanation.  When chaos descends upon us, be it of natural origin or out of sinful hearts, we wonder if God has forgotten about us.

  I don't think there's anything wrong with lifting up our laments to God.  The Psalms give us a rich tradition of people struggling with how to understand suffering while holding on to God's goodness.  Many of the prophets lamented the day of their birth, and yet they continued to live faithfully.  We can still cry out to God.

  When we do so, however, it's vital that we remember how faithful God has been.  It's important to remember that God's grace has watched over us these many years, and that it will not fail us.  Life may not turn out like we want, and we may find ourselves disappointed or despairing, but if we take some time to remember God's faithfulness, we will discover that God's goodness is still at work.

  So count your blessings.  Remember what God has done, for the act of recalling God's previous blessings will sustain us through many dark nights of the soul.