Some of us desire Egypt (bondage to sin) because we’ve yet to develop an appetite for Canaan. We want the spiritual benefits, but don’t crave spiritual things. Our relationship with God is based on what He does for us and what He gives us in this life. We crave blessings more than we crave the God of those blessings.
Life is good when God is giving us all that we ask for. But when God says “no” or “not yet”, we revert to complaining and whining like ungrateful, spoiled children. We treat God like He’s a Shuga Daddy, instead of our Heavenly Father. We adore Him what what He does, but not for who He is. There’s no real pursuit for an intimate relationship with God.
We want to be close enough to Him to benefit from Him, but not close enough to be used by Him. We treat God like He’s supposed to bless us. We leave no room for God’s sovereignty. Our every wish is supposed to be granted upon request. We haven’t understood or accepted that we can pray, but we don’t get to dictate how, when or if God answers our prayers.
Like the children off Israel, we ask the Lord to feed us. He blesses us with manna. Now we’re complaining because we expected or preferred the meatpots and figs we had when we were in Egypt — too spoiled to appreciate that we are fed! He didn’t have to give us that!
We will always struggle desiring to go back to Egypt or fail to appreciate Canaan, as long as we have a Canaan deficiency in your spiritual diet. You won’t crave what you won’t develop an appetite for. And truth be told, for way too many of us, the things of God are more like snacks and appetizers, but not the main course. O, taste and see, that the Lord is good!
*Tressa Jo
BeyondSeeLevel 