Humbled to Hunger

“And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And 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 . . . For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land . . . ” (Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 7)

I love Deuteronomy 8 . . . the title of this chapter is “Remember the LORD”. We are to remember what the LORD brings us through and what He is bringing us to.

The LORD humbles us so that we look to Him for provision. And not only provision, but daily sustenance. That’s exactly what the Israelites had to do in the wilderness . . . depend on God’s provision and His promise (His word) to provide daily nourishment.

Sometimes the trials we face, our wilderness experiences, are to do just that. To remember the LORD, to rely on Him, and look to Him alone.

We are to remember He is our provider in the midst of trial, pain, confusion, and wandering. We are also to remember why we face trials . . . "When I understand that everything happening to me is to make me more Christlike, it solves a great deal of anxiety." –A.W. Tozer.

Once we place our faith in Christ, the rest of our life is being conformed to the image of His Son. Sanctification. Purification. For future glorification.

He is our Refiner. Sometimes we are being refined through fire (Malachi 3:3) and it’s painful! We pray for His will to be done, and then cry out when the fire gets too hot! Other times we are refined through confusion, through waiting, or through hunger.

We are humbled to hunger so that we remember . . . Remember Him as Provider, as Sustainer, as Sanctifier, and King of Glory. We are humbled to hunger for Him alone. We are humbled to remember what He is bringing us to. Glory.

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)