24 Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise.
25 They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord.
26 So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27 make their descendants fall among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands. Psalm 107:24-27

The older I get the more I appreciate clean water, a roof over my head, and plenty of food in my stomach. We live in, as the Psalmist wrote, a ‘pleasant land.”

I suspect the living conditions for the Israelites weren’t exactly high class. After all, they ate and drank everything in the desert. They had their basic needs met but they complained.

The complaining of course probably started with the food, but then it escalated to overall living conditions, trusting Moses and Aaron, and how in the world could they get out of the mess they were in. Again, I’m speculating but it seems like a natural progression because it’s the same kind of progression we would make. As I’ve been saying all along, we can probably relate to the Israelites more than we care to admit. We have the advantage of seeing what their future had in store for them; they could only see day to day.

Even though we are much like these Israelites, it doesn’t mean we need to aspire to what they did. The lesson is clear: appreciate what you have. Whether it’s the 10 year old car you drive or the sometimes out of control children you’re trying to bring up or even the nasty boss who doesn’t like you or appreciate you, be grateful for these blessings. And yes, those are all blessings. I’m sure you can come up with a dozen more before finishing this devotional.