God provides, and that is not up for debate. Yes, He even provides when we complain as He hears and wants to ensure that we are taken care of and that we know that it is He who provides so that we have the opportunity to bring glory to Him.

“¹⁸They tested God in their heart

by demanding the food they craved.

¹⁹They spoke against God, saying,

‘Can God spread a table in the wilderness?

²⁰He struck the rock so that water gushed out

and streams overflowed.

Can he also give bread

or provide meat for his people?’

²¹Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath;

a fire was kindled against Jacob;

his anger rose against Israel,

²²because they did not believe in God

and did not trust his saving power.

²³Yet he commanded the skies above

and opened the doors of heaven,

²⁴and he rained down on them manna to eat

and gave them the grain of heaven.”

— Psalm 78:18-24 (ESV)

Even with the testing of and complaining to the LORD, He still gives to His people as He has promised to care for us. Yet, the LORD is also teaching us in every moment. Notice that the LORD was still angry with the people and while he did provide for them, he did so in a teaching way as we see in the later verses of the passage.

“³⁰But before they had satisfied their craving,

while the food was still in their mouths,

³¹the anger of God rose against them,

and he killed the strongest of them

and laid low the young men of Israel.”

— Psalm 78:30-31 (ESV)

God gave the people what they wanted and then gave them the lesson that what they want was not what they needed. There was the sense of entitlement and greed that had come over the people of Israel and God worked to ensure that there greed was dealt with according to His plan.

The LORD provides for our needs and that is what we should be asking for Him to fulfill. My needs are not generally in line with my wants. My wants will wander into the world of desires and those desires will be the products of my greed beyond what is required for survival. The bread given from the LORD is that which is to sustain me in this world. Sustenance is vastly different than my desires.

God is the provider for our needs and as He is a compassionate God, He will also bless me with my wants from time to time. Those are just that, blessings that are at the will of the LORD and not at the continued want of me. I have to be sure that I am asking for that which is needed to survive and know that through my obedience, God will provide and bless me where He sees fit and not where I do. Me asking continually for my wants as the Israelite people did, will only anger the LORD and then I am subject to His wrath.

What are you asking from the LORD? Are you working through to be given the items of your desire? What if you were to petition the LORD for your true needs and allowed Him the opportunity to bless you with more than you require as opposed to asking continually for those wants?

“³And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” – Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV)

I have known that “man does not live by bread alone” for a good portion of my life. It is important to have sustenance for the body to be able to make it through the physical demands that are presented. Yet, where the body needs the nourishment, the mind and soul are in need as well and that will come from another place other than the food we eat. Frankly, there is always food available. Yes, it may not be from a five star restaurant, and may be found on the streets, but the food can be found for the physical nourishment. Even the Israelite people in the wilderness were hungry and the LORD provided bread from heaven. I have to remember to look to the LORD for all that I am in need of and not just the food for the nourishment of the body.

“⁴Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years.” – Deuteronomy 8:4 (ESV)

The Israelite people in the forty years out in the wilderness were fully provided for by the LORD and not just the food needed. See above how they did not experience need for clothing or healthcare. God ensured that they were able to make it with what they had and He provided for all that time. I don’t see my shoes or clothing making it forty years wearing them day in and day out.

I will not make it on just the bread provided for my physical body, and there is no use worrying about it as it will be taken care of by God.

“³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” – Matthew 6:31-34 (ESV)

Jesus stated the above in His “Sermon on the Mount”. He made sure that the people knew that whatever they need shall be provided for by God and our job is simply to do the work of God knowing he will provide. John the Baptist, lived in the wilderness and was provided for by God, maybe not the way we would have liked to be provided for, but John was content.

“⁴Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.” – Matthew 3:4 (ESV)

We worry too much about what and were we will eat. It is important to remember that God will provide for the physical nourishment. But we should also know that God will provide for all of our needs, and it is our job to follow Him to realize those provisions wherever they may come from.

What stock are you placing in the provision of God? Are you focused on what you will have for the physical nourishment only? What if you realized that God will provide for all of your needs and that you cannot live by bread alone?

I believe it is pretty well known and accepted that the LORD provides for our needs. He knows what it is and then provides to satisfy those needs according to His plan. He will not allow us to go without provision. And yet, He will listen to us even in our time of complaint.

“⁹Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, “Come near before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.”’” – Exodus 16:9 (ESV)

This is certainly demonstrating that the LORD is truly listening to our everything. He hears all that we are presenting. Whether positive or negative, know the LORD is hearing. I have to remember that all of my communication with the LORD is just what He wants from me. He want to hear from me and He wants to have the relationship with me. I have to bring all to Him and He will hear and how it fits into His plan will provide.

In the above scenario, the LORD was providing for the people of Israel, yet they were still not satisfied and He could hear their “grumbling” and complaints. And so what does the LORD do, he provides in the way that only He could do so.

“⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.’” – Exodus 16:4 (ESV)

The LORD was literally providing daily bread for the people of Israel. Each morning there would be, on the ground the bread they would need for the day and then, as in the passage, it would expire and new would be provided the following day. The LORD had heard the people’s cries and provided for the need they had, daily.

Too often, there is a sense of despair in the minds of man. We tend to be dependent on ourselves for our needs when we should be lifting our needs to the LORD knowing that He will provide for them in His way. I have to remember not to tell the LORD how to, only ask Him to do so, knowing that He will provide in the way that is in line with His plan for me.

It is fully okay to speak with the LORD and let Him know of our petition. He will provide in His way for the needs we have. I have to remember not to put up guardrails for God to work within. I have to allow Him to work in His way and not mine. I have to know that the LORD will provide for my needs even when I seem to complain about the perceived lack coming from Him.

What complaints do you have for the LORD? Are you letting Him know and having that conversation with Him about those complaints? What if you did so and allowed Him to provide for your needs in the way that He does even to satisfy your complaints and “grumbling”?