SermonStudio

"I've been thinking about the word 'providence' all week. Have you ever heard that word before? Do you know what it means?" The children shake their heads to indicate this word is meaningless to them. I continue: " 'Providence' comes from the word 'provide,' and has to do with the goodness of God, God's providing, what we sometimes call God's benevolence. 'Providence' is an important word. I'd like you to try to remember it while I tell you a story.

"This story has to do with unexpected providence in the desert. Have any of you ever been in a desert?" Several of the children indicate they have been, so I ask, "What was it like? Were there many plants?"

"Hardly any," one child tells me.

"There was a LOT of sand!" another offers.

"What about water?" I ask them. "Do deserts get much rain?"

"No, they're very dry," several children assure me.

"So, deserts are dry, sandy places without many trees or other plants. There's a story in the Bible about Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, where they had been slaves, into the wilderness. That wilderness was a desert. As you might imagine, their journey was filled with trouble.

"Their first problem was a lack of water. They walked for three days without finding any! But, finally they reached an oasis. That's what places in the desert that have water are called. This oasis was named Marah and the water there was so bitter the people couldn't drink it.

"Needless to say, the people complained. They were not happy! So, God told Moses to put a certain type of tree in the water to make the water sweet. Then the Israelites drank their fill.

"After a while, they moved on to an oasis called Elim. They rested there under the shade of the palm trees that were able to grow there because of the water. It must have been difficult for the people to think about going any farther, for the next part of their trip would take them into a desert named Sin. It was a barren and desolate wasteland.

"But, they couldn't stay at the oasis of Elim forever. So, eventually they continued their journey. The farther they went, the more they forgot about the difficulties they had had in Egypt. They forgot about all the hard work they'd had to do for the Pharaoh and how badly he had treated them. Instead, they remembered the food they'd had to eat there and the water they'd had to drink. They remembered the shade of Egypt's trees too. Many of the people began to think maybe Egypt hadn't been so bad after all.

"After about six weeks the people were getting pretty hungry because food was very scarce in the desert. So, they went to Moses and asked him if he had led them into the wilderness just so they could all die of hunger!

"Of course, Moses wouldn't do that. But he could tell the people were beginning to think they had made a big mistake in following him, so Moses asked God what to do.

"God said, 'I will give my people meat to eat in the evening and bread in the morning.' And God did! Migrating quails, worn out from flying so far into the desert, fell at the people's feet. This made them easy to catch, so the Israelites had the meat God had promised.

"But the people really didn't see how God was going to provide bread for them in the desert. That's why it's not too surprising that when God did, at first the people didn't recognize that what God had given them was bread.

"There was dew on the ground in the morning and when it dried, the people saw small round things lying around. 'What is this stuff?' they asked Moses.

"Moses told them it was the bread God had promised. But because it was not what they had expected, they hadn't recognized it. After Moses told them what it was, the Israelites gathered up the bread and ate it. It was white and tasted like honey. They called it manna.

"Sometimes God provides things for us that we don't recognize too. I was in the grocery store yesterday thinking about this story since it had to do with food. And, guess what? God provided me with an idea of something to help demonstrate the meaning of unpredictable providence! What do you suppose I brought that you aren't expecting? And where do you suppose it is since my hands are obviously empty?"

With wide-eyed wonder the children begin to look around, at my hands, my clothes. Maybe there's something in my pockets; maybe there is something behind me. Finally one discerning child lets out a surprised shriek.

"What do you see, Joe?" I ask him, barely able to control my laughter.

"Your bracelet," he nearly yells. "It's made of candy!"

"You have sharp eyes," I compliment him. "It is made of candy ... and what do you suppose I'm going to do with it?"

"Give it to US?" several children ask with mounting anticipation.

"Yes, I'm going to cut the string with these scissors and give each of you a piece of my 'bracelet.' You didn't expect this, did you? And because you didn't expect it, you didn't recognize it at first as something to eat, just like the Israelites didn't recognize the manna in the desert.

"Now, before you go let's think one more time about what we talked over today. In the desert the Israelites experienced God's goodness, God's unpredictable what? ... say it with me ...

"Providence!" some of the children manage.

"That's right, God's unpredictable providence. It's a big word that comes from 'provide.' God took care of the Israelites in the desert. And God will always take care of you too."