How can human beings accurately figure out what is a test from God and what is just a circumstance they never should have gotten themselves into?  In the case of the Israelites, they should have been able to say, “If God is visibly leading us in the form of the pillar of cloud, then we’re supposed to be here, and our experience so far tells us that he’ll provide for us this time too.” Egypt to Enough: Trusting God in the Wilderness Exodus 16:1-3  1. Growth Takes Faith and Discomfort  The Israelites complained against Moses for the third time. In reality, they were once again complaining against God himself. In spite of all that God had done for them, they were quick to forget his miracles and to lose faith in his goodness, wisdom, promises, and plan for their lives.  When serious problems arise, we must not blame God. Instead, we must choose to trust him and rely on his help. He will solve the problems in his time and his way. Back to Egypt committee; There will always be those people in your life who tell you that you were better off before you started to better yourself. They tell you this because they want you to be as mad and as miserable as they are. God grows our faith in the midst of our discomfort. If you want to grow in your faith, you will have to learn that you will only grow to the level of discomfort you are willing to endure. Exodus 16:4-8  2. The Lord Provides What We Need Now they were being asked to restrain their natural tendency to gather as much as was available to gather in anticipation of the time when no gathering would be possible.  God was teaching them to trust Him every day afresh, and they were challenged to think about His provision in a way that had never been part of their planning pattern before. Bread from Heaven ; This “bread from heaven” is called “manna”. It was heavenly food miraculously sent among the people each day for the full forty years that they wandered through the wilderness. God sent the manna each morning. The people had to collect what they needed. The white substance resembled thin flakes of frost, and it had a honey-like taste. God will give you just what you need. The issue is that we do not know the difference between needs and wants. We believe that God is not blessing us unless we receive everything we want. That is not to say God will not give you the desire of your heart, but he wants to grant those desires until you learn to be content with your needs. Exodus 16:22-26  3. The Sabbath Is A Command, Not A Suggestion  God’s instructions for the seventh day emphasized that his people were to follow the example he set on the seventh day of creation. God knew that if His people failed to observe the Sabbath, they would become physically and spiritually exhausted due to the numerous activities and concerns of life.  The seventh, or Sabbath, day of rest was a means of keeping them from losing sight of spiritual things and then neglecting them. They were to remember that God considered their spiritual lives to be of the utmost importance. God did not need to rest. You need to rest. You are not built to run 24/7, 365 days a year. Growing up, Sundays were a day of rest. We got up, gave God our first and our best, and then we rested.  If God cannot have at least 1 day out of your week, is he that important to you? What are our transformational moments? Are you getting good at being uncomfortable? Are you satisfied with your needs? Does God get your Sabbath?