Grace and Gratitude
For Meditation (Corey Widmer)
Some of my favorite verses from the book of Proverbs are these: “Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:7-9)
Deuteronomy 8 is a perfect expression of this wisdom. In the first part of the chapter (vv. 1–9), Moses recalls Israel’s long season of wilderness scarcity, when they were tempted to doubt God and take matters into their own hands. In the second part (vv. 10–20), he warns that once they enter the good land, abundance will tempt them to forget God and boast in themselves. Both scarcity and abundance carry spiritual dangers.
How do we guard our hearts against these dangers? By practicing trust and gratitude. Trust anchors us in God’s provision today, remembering how faithfully he has cared for us in the past and how surely he will care for us in the future. Gratitude keeps us awake to God’s generosity in every good thing we enjoy and protects us from slipping into pride, self-sufficiency, or greed.
As you prepare for worship, consider these questions:
When in your life have you most struggled to trust God’s provision—during times of scarcity, or during times of abundance? Why?
Moses warns that abundance can cause us to forget God (vv. 12–14). What are some subtle ways prosperity or comfort can draw our attention away from him today?
How can gratitude become more than a fleeting feeling for you—what would it look like to practice gratitude as a daily spiritual discipline? What would gratitude look like to practice together as a community?
Deuteronomy 8:18 reminds us, “Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” How does this verse challenge our assumptions about ownership, stewardship, and generosity? How could we practice this both individually and communally?
In what ways could you respond to God’s provision this week with concrete acts of gratitude—whether in prayer, generosity, community, or service to others?
Deuteronomy 8:1–3; 10–18
Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
Read along with us this fall! Download our Deuteronomy Reading Guide here.