TOO MUCH DEBT, THINK OF MANNA FROM HEAVEN

Ever heard of Manna from heaven? After God delivered the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, Moses led them through a long journey through the desert before they were able to arrive after 40 years at the Promised Land of Canaan. While they were travelling through the dessert (no GPS yet at that time) searching for the Promised Land, they did not have enough food to feed themselves from their livestock. Just several days wandering about in Death Valley in California with no food and water will surely kill you. So, the Jews started to complain to Moses that they were better off as slaves in Egypt because even though they were slaves to Pharaoh, they had enough to eat, and here they are, following the lead of Moses, lost in the desert without food and water. They do complain a lot even after witnessing the “angel of death” passing over their first born, killing only the first born of the Egyptians, including the first born of Pharaoh which finally convinced Pharaoh to let them go and the parting of the Red Sea to allow them to escape the pursuing Egyptians!  I mean, they are really too much and they demand too much of God.

So they blew it again. They made a cow out of gold and worshipped it as their god! Can you believe it? After everything that God has done for them, they turn around and betray Him. What a bunch of fools they are. By worshiping the gold cow, they condemned themselves to being lost in the desert for 40 years because God would not allow anyone who worshipped the cow to set foot on the Promised Land and it took 40 years for the last one of the cow worshippers to die. While they revel in debauchery before the golden cow, Moses goes up the mountain to tell God that the people are complaining that they have no food and water.

God tells Moses that He will send them food every morning and water will spring out of a rock if Moses strikes the rock with his staff. The next morning when the Jews wake up they discover there are bread like substances on the ground. They are able to grind these into bread and eat it. However, God tells Moses that they should only gather enough of “Manna from heaven” to last a day. God will send them Manna every morning so there is no need to store up on Manna. But since the Jews cannot follow instructions, they gather more than what is needed for the day and sure enough the excess Manna spoils the next day.

Moses himself did not follow God’s instructions because God told him to strike the stone once. Moses struck it once and waited but no water sprung forth. He struck it a second time and water came forth. So, God told Moses that because you did not obey my instruction to strike the stone once, and only once, you will see the Promised Land but you will not set foot on it.

So for 40 years, every morning, Manna came from heaven to feed the Jews. It ended when Moses died after 40 years of wandering about in the desert when he saw the Promised Land.

When you feel that you have too much debt, think of Manna from heaven. God will take care of you and your family as He did the Jews. He gave them food and water for 40 years! However, the debt will not just disappear. You still have to do your part. You have to analyze your financial situation and take the necessary steps to get rid of your debt. Filing a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy may be part of the steps and decision that you must make to get rid of your debt. However, you can rest assure that God will help you set your financial situation back on solid footing because He loves you. In addition, this Sunday Catholics celebrate the feast of “Divine Mercy.” To obtain God’s mercy, you must say “Lord Jesus, I trust in you.”

Lawrence Bautista Yang is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and has been in law practice for thirty years.  He specializes in bankruptcy, business and civil litigation and has handled more than five thousand successful bankruptcy cases in California.  He speaks Mandarin and Fujien and looks forward to discussing your case with you personally.  Please call (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S Fremont Ave Bldg A-1 Suite 1125 Unit 58 Alhambra, CA 91803.