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26 Letters from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

The King James Bible is written using only twenty-six letters, for that's how many letters are in the English alphabet. There are about forty-four major sounds in the English language. Yet, we can write a series of novels within those constraints and take people where they have never been. We can bring hope, encouragement, or fear and division. 

A piano has twelve notes. These are repeated up the piano's length an octave higher each time, but it is the same pattern. The bigger the piano, the more octaves are available, but still, it only has twelve notes to use. Yet, we can play endless melodies and combinations. There is always something new to be discovered. The music can be uplifting and energetic or sad or angry. Sometimes what I hear doesn't sound like music at all!

The Word of God has a finite amount of words, about 783,137 in the King James version. Yet, every time you read it, you can learn something. The Holy Spirit can reveal something you have never seen before, and it is refreshing, enlightening, and wonderful. Something new. A timely word from the Lord changes everything. 

(Isaiah 40:28–31 NKJV)  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

The words translated as "those who wait on" in that verse mean "To hope in. To look forward with confidence to that which is good and beneficial":

7747 I. קָוָה (qā·wā(h)): v.; ≡ Str 6960; TWOT 1994, 1995—1. LN 25.59–25.64 (qal) hope in (Ps 25:3; 37:9; 69:7[EB 6]; Isa 40:31; 49:23; La 3:25+); (piel) hope for, wait for, look for, i.e., look forward with confidence to that which is good and beneficial, often with a focus of anticipation in a future event.

Hope keeps you from fainting when the going gets tough. We don't give up. We hope in the Lord. In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 56:11 NKJV).   

When the Israelites in the wilderness began whining and complaining and saying they were better off in Egypt, where they sat by pots of meat. They were not "waiting" on the Lord. Now they were here with nothing to eat but this loathsome manna. So Moses and the Lord had a conversation.

(Numbers 11:4–6 NKJV)  Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: "Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!"

The Lord told Moses to prepare the people, for He would give them so much meat over the next month that it would be coming out of their nostrils. They were in the wilderness with hundreds of thousands of people, and Moses couldn't see how that could possibly happen. So, like so many of us, he voiced his thoughts and then later felt like a dumb-dumb. 

(Numbers 11:21–22 NKJV)  And Moses said, "The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, 'I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.' Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?"

 Short and sweet as always, the Lord told Moses this:

(Numbers 11:23 NKJV)  And the LORD said to Moses, "Has the LORD's arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not."

Has the Lord's arm been shortened? You don't think I can provide for you? You don't believe I can do what I told you? Watch and see...

(Numbers 11:31–32 NKJV)  Now a wind went out from the LORD, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day's journey on this side and about a day's journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

Quail, a small game bird about seven inches long, migrate along the Mediterranean coast (click image to enlarge). They fly low and roost on the ground or in bushes at nightfall. The birds are good eating and were a favorite delicacy of the Egyptians. There are records of Arabs setting nets and capturing between one and two million birds over the season. 

During this migration, the Lord sent a strong wind that forced the birds down around the Israelite camp. The quail surrounded the camp covering an area 40 miles across and waist deep. The people went out and gathered quail for two days. 

The person who gathered the least had ten homers. Estimates of a homer range between 26-90 gallons wet or 11 bushels dry. So each family had at least the equivalent of a 50-gallon trash can full of quail. Of course, yielding to a craving usually ends badly, and this one did, but that's another story.

Is the Lord's arm too short to do what He said? He loves surprising us and doing things entirely different than we expect, and it's always better. His way is by far the best. The Lord used food in the wilderness to train His people, much like we train our dog, Jasmine. It's a worthy comparison, for Jasmine is always driven by what she wants right now. I'm starving' Ma...and staring with those big, sad eyes.

The Lord's thoughts are eternal, while many times, ours are on "I need this right now!" Lord, don't You care? Sure, He does, but He may be trying to teach you a little discipline along the way. You may not need that as badly as you think, and if you focus more on Him, the desires of your heart will follow. 

(Psalm 37:4 NKJV)  Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

(Matthew 6:31–33 NKJV)  "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

(Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV)  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

You can pray this with me if you like: 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for taking care of me. Please draw my heart to You and make what is important to You important to me! Open my mind to Your Scriptures, help me understand, and protect me from deception. Today, I am Yours. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!