craving

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Psalm 78:1-39; Matthew 2:13-23




18 They tested God in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God, saying, Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power...
29 And they ate and were well filled ,
for he gave them what they craved.
30 But before they had satisfied their craving,
while the food was still in their mouths,
31 the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them
and laid low the young men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this, they still sinned;
despite his wonders, they did not believe.
36 But they flattered him with their mouths;
they lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him;
they were not faithful to his covenant.
(Psalm 78)

Devotionally, Psalm 78:1-39, is what speaks to me today. This Psalm begins beautifully, stating that they had been given a command that fathers should teach their children, that the children should not forget what God had done, and they should not be like their parents, a stubborn and rebellious generation, who were not faithful to God.

Then comes the rehearsal of what God had done and their unfaithfulness. What strikes me about this psalm is this craving they had (I have). This unbelief-generated craving (so often for food, actually) which in distrust and fear that desires and demands to be satisfied by anything but God.

"They did not believe in God, and did not trust in his saving power." (v. 19) That pretty much states the problem. But rather than resist them, "he gave them what they craved." (v. 29) That's scary. I think it's true to say that ultimately God will give us what we really, really want. I experience "craving", a deep unsettledness, an "ontological insecurity," basically not believing God nor trusting in his saving power in some particular area or other.

Now, I do believe in God and trust his saving power overall, but as we looked at this morning at Bible Study we still need to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for God is at work in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:14) I still have to cooperate with God, and work out what He's worked, or working, within me.

This is where spiritual disciplines come into play. I need to trust the Lord. I know that. But my cravings need a trigger, or a reminder of what's really going on. Fasting (and abstaining from certain foods) will do this. Silence will do this. Giving will do this.

When I crave M&M's, for example, just wanting to munch on them - I need to face the fact that oftentimes it is because I am feeling anxious about something in my life, and I have found that temporarily that craving is satisfied by M&M's (now I'm not saying eating M&Ms are a sin, or drinking coffee - another problem for me). And in these times I need to speak to my soul:

• "Believe in God, believe also in Jesus."
• "Trust in his saving power to deliver you and provide for you."
• "Remember, you do not live by bread (or M&Ms or coffee or whatever) alone, but by what comes from the mouth of the Lord."

Enough said (perhaps it's obvious that I'm dealing this week with overeating and eating lots of junk and a basic anxiety about my life and future... It's awesome how God speaks to us right where we are). I'll close with some verses from the end of our Psalm for today:

38 Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,
a wind that passes and comes not again.

Thanks be to God for his patience and compassion.
Thanks be to God for Jesus, the true bread of life.