Day 3: As much as is needed
And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed (Exodus 16:18).
Creator God, You made everything in wisdom and excellence. You gave Job— and us— a glimpse of Your fine-tuned perfect creation when You described how you had laid the earth's foundation, marked off its dimensions, set a measuring line across it, set its footings, laid its cornerstone... (Job 38:4-6).
And You gave us even more insight into the marvels of Your meticulous measures through the prophet Isaiah— "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, or with the breadth of His hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?" (Isaiah 40:12).
But we are blind and impervious to so many of Your wonders! In our constant chaos, ceaseless scurrying, and haphazard habits, our world-weary eyes seldom notice and appreciate Your gifts of order, precision, harmony, balance, and symmetry. Yet these govern so much of what protects us, sustains us, nurtures us. They hold us together in community, in mutual defense and in critical interdependency.
And when You touch our lives with Your providence You give us a view of a world where Your kingdom comes, and Your will is done— a world of love, justice, balance, and equity— a world where the one who gather[s] much [does] not have too much, and the one who gather[s] little [does] not have too little (Exodus 16:18).
O Father, teach us Your ways. The wisdom of Your word tells us that Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of His making (Proverbs 16:11).
Forgive us for the fear, selfishness, and insecurity that drive greed, covetousness, dishonesty, corruption, and compromise. Give us freedom from the chains of "stuff"— possessions, acquisitions— the cycle of never-ending accumulation.
Give us rest in the knowledge that You are are our Portion, and that in all the gathering, You are the One who gives just as much as is needed.
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