Today’s prayer focus is selected from Nehemiah 9:20, “You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.”
Notice the generosity of God, 1. You gave, 2. You did not withhold, and 3. You again gave. The emphasis of the passage is on the abundant generosity of God. God loves to give. From the passage it would make sense to assume that at times God does withhold. I recall God withholding rain for a season, judgment on Abraham’s city, and Hezekiah’s impending death.
In these cases, however, God’s withholding of a lesser thing was so that He could give a greater gift a bit later on. Even corrective actions taken by God are His gifts to us in disguise. He loves us too much to allow us to continue hurting ourselves with sin, so He allows things into our lives to adjust our attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs.
God never withholds from a selfish, hurtful, or arrogant posture. You and I, on the other hand, often withhold love, grace, and compassion in destructive and negative ways. Have you ever seen someone give “the silent” treatment to a loved one? Never, in my experience, has someone “given” the silent treatment out of love, grace, and compassion. It is usually a weapon and not a blessing.
God gives what is best for us. In the case of Nehemiah, God gave His good Spirit to instruct, food, and water. With these three all is well for mankind.
Contentment is another story. Would you be satisfied with God’s wisdom, food, and water? Could you be content with what God chose to provide? Truly, God’s wisdom is unsurpassed as a gift. No giving ever exceeded the giving of the wisdom of God.
God is generous and everything He gives is from His pure heart and is only for our good.
“Lord, as we make our giving decision for the MCA Capital Campaign, please grant to each one your spirit of wisdom. We determine in advance to be content with the food and water and wisdom you provide.” AMEN!