As I now look back, I am amazed at how the shadow of death had crept in on us until it was a welcome guest in the midst of our fellowship. And “They” came with the shadow… "the Gatherers", "the Collectors", "the Hoarders". They started taking a stand in the middle of our gatherings and began growing in numbers. They would constantly whine and complain, and try to take more of this daily provision for joy than was necessary; and hoard it.
Each evening though, they would find their coffers full of rotting and maggot infested sorrow instead of the daily joy that could have been theirs at the break of every day. Every night you could hear them weeping at the door of their dwellings as they would look into their putrefied stash, and bewail the fact that “more” was what they needed even though it would rot. Every day they would try to raise the bar of their gathering, and every night they would cry “How Long?”. If they could only have more, then they would be happy.
Even as this scene repeated night after night, it began to intensify and weary those who were content to be surprised with “enough for today”. This selfish longing of "the Collectors" had now transcended to an ungrateful lust for the things that they had previously hated in the land of their captivity. These “Gatherers” actually fell so low that they began despising not only their daily supply of joy but also the Supplier. Their overt lack of gratitude was even beginning to convince the Contented that maybe the Collectors were more spiritual because they longed for “more”. This was about to be put to the test.
Seventy Men gathered with our leader near the Wilderness Assembly Point. They were filled with the same Spirit as our leader was, to proclaim the need for gratitude, the need for contentment, and of the coming judgment upon those would would continue to lust. Two young men in our camp, named “God has Loved” and “Love”, actually had not joined with our leader as planned, but they too were filled with the Spirit to proclaim also (this was a little troubling because now the message of love from above was clearer than before). And the message was clear, “Be Content; or you will receive what you have lusted for, and it will be your end.”
Numbers 11:19, 20 – “Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; But even a whole month, until it come out of your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and ye have wept before Him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?”
The Next thing I took knowledge of was two winds began to turn against each other, creating a waterspout from the sea. Instead of water dumping on us, it began raining Sea Birds. It rained so hard that we were up to our knees in birds as far as we could walk in either direction in a day. Many people started acting crazy and gathering the birds in piles (the least I saw gathered would have filled about twelve - 55 gallon drums).And the disgusting feast began until it ended with nostrils filled with raw meat and feathers, and graves being dug. The test was over.
Be very careful to be very grateful for your daily provision from the Lord. He wants to be the source of your Joy, and is more than sufficient to lavish you with His love. A lack of gratitude will cause you to miss that He is with you. A lack of gratitude will cause you to long for the life that was killing you. Be content with your God, and wait with thankful anticipation for your daily “What is it?”
True vibrant life in Christ is found in the daily anticipation of His love surprises.
Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
HLFA,
Jeff