MorningMarch 29
Deuteronomy 8:3-4 3He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. 4Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.
God tested Israel in the wilderness in order to know what was in their heart. It was not as if our all-knowing God couldn't see their hearts. They needed to see how faithless and proud their own hearts were. So do we! Because of our sinful nature we get the ridiculous idea that we are independent creatures. We think we can take care of ourselves. That is why we are taken through wilderness experiences.
When the LORD sets his love upon you, the most gracious thing He can do for you is to show you truth. The truth is that you are a dependent creature, dependent upon the Word of God for air, water, food, ability, and life itself. God alone is ascient (self-sustaining). How do you think Moses survived two forty-day fasts without water? The Word of God sustained him. How could the nation of Israel live for forty years in the desert? The Word of God brought water from the rock, bread from heaven, and kept their clothing from wearing out.
When we realize this fact of total dependency, we are humbled. Jesus knew it to be true. He said, "I can do nothing by myself." As a man, He knew He had become dependent on the Word of His Father, and so He spoke and acted what He heard and saw of the Father. The effects of the humbling truth that we are totally dependent on the Word of God should change the way we speak and act if we are to accomplish anything of lasting value. Recognize the reality of how very needy you are.
Consider: The trials of life are to humble us and show us our need.