Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 (NRSV)
Read Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 on biblegateway.com
Verse 2The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. Verse 3The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger." Verse 4Then the Lord said to Moses, "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. Verse 9Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, 'Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.'" Verse 10And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. Verse 11The Lord spoke to Moses and said, Verse 12"I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.'"
Verse 13In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. Verse 14When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. Verse 15When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
Devotion
Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your… incredible worship team? Well-phrased prayers? Majestic organ? Pitch-perfect choir? Carefully timed liturgy? Sometimes, planning and participating in worship can feel like, if we don’t do it just so, it doesn’t count. It makes pastors and parishioners alike nervous that we will ruin it and God will somehow listen less to us, or give up on our tuneless chanting and walk away from us all together.
But what is it that God heard? Complaining. What God responds to is the Israelites' desperate, whiny, shrieky, exhausting complaints. Somehow, it achieves more than the intensely orchestrated worship services we perform every week. God listens to your complaining! It doesn’t have to be couched in pretty words or fancy dress. It can simply be your straight-from-the-heart, deep-in-the-gut expressions of pain, frustration, grief, anger, and weariness. After all, sometimes it is all we have. God knows that this life is not always easy, and God stands ready to hear us when our cries are harmonious songs or dissonant screams.
Prayer
God, we are thankful for your willingness not only to hear our complaints, but to send us the bread of life because of them. Amen.