Nehemiah 9:15-23. Part of Ezra's prayer in front of the assembly of the people. He is recounting what God has done for the Israelites. Here, he praises God for giving them food as they wandered in the desert, and for always protecting them and guiding them, even though they are a stiff-necked people who often go astray (such as when they made a golden calf and worshiped it as the God who saved them from Egypt!) "Forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness and they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell." Eventually, God led them back to Canaan and delivered it and the surrounding kingdoms to them, a land of such plenty that they wanted for nothing. There they ate, and became fat, and "delighted themselves in thy great goodness."

Ezra's prayer hits on all the wonderful things the Lord has done for the Israelites - the seemingly impossible wonders, like the plagues of Egypt, the freeing of the people from slavery, and the conquering of the Promised Land; but also on the smaller, but no less miraculous, acts of love, like the fact that they're clothes did not wear out while in the desert. I sometimes think these smaller things are more miraculous, because the people have no control over them whatsoever. God used Moses and Aaron to perform his signs to Pharaoh and to obtain the people's freedom from Egypt; God used Joshua and the men of Israel to conquer the Promised Land. These big miracles required the willing participation and sacrifice of his people. That does not in any way diminish the wonder of them but, but it can lead outside observers to say that these things were not achieved by God, but by men.

But when a multitude of people wandering in the desert are fed and clothed everyday for forty years, that is all God. The manna in the desert was God providing bread from heaven so his people wouldn't starve. The clothes not wearing out was God covering them, protecting them, saving them from exposure to the elements (and from humiliation). These smaller things in which the people do not participate are so indicative of a loving Father just working in the background to make sure his children are safe and well, even as they struggle through the challenges of life and the consequences of their bad behavior.

Of course God could have brought the Israelites right into the Promised Land, and saved them from all the wandering, but they were so stiff-necked, they wouldn't have appreciated that it was God who did this for them. So they had to suffer for a while, and leave it to a new generation to appreciate the Promised Land for what it was - an unearned, undeserved, bountiful gift from an all-loving Father. But even when they are suffering, the same Father is protecting them in every way, giving them food, water, and clothing. All the essentials are covered.

We should always remember this. He loves us so much, he will provide what we need to get through the suffering that we also need to achieve our ultimate goal - the Promised Land, Heaven.