Lord God,
You are the God who humbles to heal,
who withholds to teach,
who provides to prove Your faithfulness.
You led Israel through the wilderness,
not to destroy them,
but to reveal what was in their hearts
to show that man does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from Your mouth.
You are not a God of indulgence,
but of instruction.
You discipline as a Father disciplines His child,
that Your people might learn to depend on You.
The wilderness was never wasted,
for it became a classroom of trust,
a furnace of faith,
a proving ground for grace.
I confess, Lord,
that I resist the wilderness.
I long for comfort when You desire character,
for plenty when You intend to purify.
I grumble when You are actually growing me.
Forgive me for forgetting
that humility is not punishment
it is preparation.
Teach me to see Your hand in the hunger,
Your care in the correction,
Your love in the lessons of lack.
You fed Israel with manna,
bread unknown to their fathers,
a daily miracle that demanded dependence.
So feed me, Lord,
with the manna of Your Word.
Let me hunger more for Your presence than provision,
more for Your voice than for visible security.
If You must empty my hands to fill my heart,
then empty them, Lord
until I learn that You are enough.
You brought Israel into a good land,
a land of brooks and fountains,
of wheat and honey,
where they would lack nothing.
Yet You warned them not to forget You in abundance.
O God, how easily I forget when life is full!
When my table overflows,
I forget the Giver and praise the gift.
When my barns are filled,
I act as though I built them.
Humble me in prosperity, Lord,
as You sustained me in poverty.
Let gratitude keep me grounded.
Let thanksgiving guard my heart.
You said, “Beware lest you say in your heart,
‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’”
How subtle the pride that creeps in when life is good!
So remind me, Lord,
that every breath is borrowed,
every blessing is grace,
every success is mercy.
It is You who give power to gain wealth,
You who sustain the fruit of my labor,
You who deserve the first and final praise.
You are the God who humbles and provides,
who brings through the wilderness into the wide land.
So whether I am wandering or resting,
hungry or filled,
teach me to remember.
Let every desert become a doxology,
every trial a testimony.
For You alone are my source,
my sustainer,
my satisfaction.
Keep me, Lord,
from the arrogance of abundance
and the despair of scarcity.
Let both plenty and want
lead me closer to Your heart.
And when I finally dwell in the place of promise,
let my worship rise higher than my comfort
for it was never the land that saved me,
but the Lord who led me there.
In the name of Jesus,
the Bread of Life,
who satisfies the hungry soul forever,
Amen.