Imagine. You are on a journey, and you have been told that what you need to survive is located in this fallen tree. All that you see is a fallen tree that is old and hollow. You may even think that it’s an eyesore. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder! What you don’t see is the provision that this tree will bring for your survival: wood for shelter, wood for the fire, and possibly something in the wood for first aid and sustenance. How often do we encounter a situation where everything we need has been provided for us? Do we see it? Or do we choose to overlook it?
Recently, I gave instruction to a group of students about the expectations for their upcoming speeches. Websites for information were provided. An exemplar was given for visual direction. A template for the organization was uploaded to each student’s computer. Several workdays were given in class so that any clarification could be addressed. And then it happened. I gave a Due Date for the assignment. All of a sudden my students lost their confidence. I was bombarded with questions and statements. How long does this have to be? Do I have to stand up in front of the class? Can’t you just read it? Is this for a grade? How many sources do I have to have? Is this in MLA format? Are intext citations necessary? I don’t understand! I don’t get it! I don’t know what you want! All I could say was, “WOW!” In addressing my class, I told them to stop because we were moving forward. Everything they needed for success had been provided for them. I was struck with the thought of how many times we have had the provisions from God that are necessary to keep us moving. How many times did we moan and complain? How many times are we never satisfied?
Adam was a man with everything. (1) He had a place to live: Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:8 says, “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (2) Adam had a job: oversee the garden. Genesis 2:15 states, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (3) Adam had companionship: Eve. Genesis 2:20-22 reveals, “But for Adam, no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.” Everything Adam needed had been provided, but yet the satisfaction was not sufficient.
Let’s take a look at the Israelites as they left Egypt and found themselves in the desert. Everything they needed had been provided. In the previous episode of “What Do People Say About You?,” we were made aware of the complaints made by the Israelites against God and Moses. “As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”(Exodus 14:10-12). The Israelites totally overlooked the fact that they had everything to journey to the Promised Land. God had provided protection because they got out of Egypt safely. They would eventually cross the dry sands of the parted Red Sea, and the Egyptian soldiers would be engulfed by the waves as they tried to pursue the Israelites. Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” God said to Moses: “Why cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites. Order them to get moving. Hold your staff high and stretch your hand out over the sea: Split the sea! The Israelites will walk through the sea on dry ground.“ (Exodus 14:13-16). In simple language, God was saying, I have given you every provision necessary. Use them!
This part of Moses’ story serves as a reminder that sometimes all that we need is right in front of us. The message for my students is don’t lose heart, faith, or confidence. Believe. It is so easy to rely on someone else to make decisions for us because we don’t have to share in the responsibility of the outcome. Everything that you need has been provided for you to complete the assignment.
How about you? Has everything that you need been provided to complete God’s assignment for you? Remember that you have what you need.
Coffee Reflections 