Trust and Obey 

God on Monday
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"I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way, I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days” (Exodus 16.4-5). 

Reflection

We live in an anxiety-ridden culture. But an antidote is supplied by the story of manna in the wilderness, as it inspires trust in God’s provision and in the goodness of God’s commands. It also demonstrates the operation of grace, as the Israelites had been complaining to Moses about the threat of starvation. They said that they would have preferred to have stayed in slavery in Egypt. Despite their lack of trust, God provides a daily supply of food. 

How many times - in our personal and working lives - have we behaved like the Israelites, fretting about tomorrow’s needs instead of trusting the Lord to provide?

Difficult circumstances test our faith and obedience. But they are also an opportunity to discover more of God’s wider plans. The manna story shows not only how God provided daily sustenance but also how God used the crisis to prepare the people for the establishment of the Sabbath.

We see another example of this in the gospels when Jesus commanded the brothers Simon and Andrew to recast their nets after a fruitless night's fishing. Initially questioning Jesus, they eventually did what he asked, setting in motion the divine plan that they become ‘fishers of people’ (Lk 5.10).

As in the manna story, so in the story of the miraculous catch of fish, trust and obedience are inextricably linked; and the exercise of both virtues prepares the way for God’s unfolding plan. We may not know how God will provide, nor what God will ask us to do. But we can trust that God will give us what we need and that this provision will contribute to plans beyond ourselves.

The hymn that exhorts us to ‘trust and obey’ may sound old-fashioned and simplistic in contemporary ears. But it reflects an important truth that runs through scripture: that to trust is to obey and to obey is to trust. There is, indeed, in following Christ, ‘no other way’ than to trust and obey.

Response

If, or when, you find yourself doubting God’s provision this week, build your trust in God by taking a step of obedience, even if what God asks of you seems at the time to make little sense.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace, even when I am anxious and doubt you. Thank you that you are worthy of my trust and obedience. May you unfold your greater plans within me and in the world around me. Amen.

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God on Monday is produced in partnership with the Church of England. The reflections are based on the scriptural readings designated for the next Sunday in the Church's lectionary. You can sign up to Faith in Business here to receive each God on Monday instalment.  

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