Psalm 10

The Lord is King Forever (vs.16)

1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
    Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
    who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
    he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
    in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
His ways are always prosperous;
    your laws are rejected by him;
    he sneers at all his enemies.
He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
    He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”

His mouth is full of lies and threats;
    trouble and evil are under his tongue.
He lies in wait near the villages;
    from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
    like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
    he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
10 His victims are crushed, they collapse;
    they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;
    he covers his face and never sees.”

12 Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
    Do not forget the helpless.
13 Why does the wicked man revile God?
    Why does he say to himself,
    “He won’t call me to account”?
14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
    you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
    you are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked man;
    call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
    that would not otherwise be found out.

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;
    the nations will perish from his land.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
    so that mere earthly mortals
    will never again strike terror.

Vs 1: Is this verse relatable to you? Have you ever felt this? Have you ever called this out to God? Have you been in the depths of despair and looked for God and felt like he wasn’t there? The Psalmist has, too. You are not alone.

The rest of this Psalm shows us the answer to the question in verse 1. (Spoiler alert – look at verse 14).

Vs 2-13: These verses paint the picture of the wicked man. One one hand, it’s easy to look at this picture and say, “How horrible – what an evil person!” – and rightly so!

The wicked man is painted in such a way to make us feel his evil. He hunts down the weak (2), boasts about his sin (3), reviles God (3), has no thoughts for God at all (4), yet he seems to prosper in all he does (5) – in clear contradiction to verses like Psalm 1:6 “The way of the wicked will perish”.

There is no guarantee that the wicked will not prosper in this life.

Before we move on to what will happen to the wicked man when he meets God, let’s stop for a second – as we point at others, do we also point out something in ourselves?

As Paul reminds the Corinthians: “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:1-11).

If God had not called us, we would be living lives just as this wicked man does. What is more frightening is when we see an attitude to sin that we ourselves may have: “God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.” (Vs 11).

Vs 16-18:This Psalm ends with words of great comfort: God is King forever, he does hear the cries of the oppressed, and he will avenge them.

What will you pray as a result of this Psalm today?

What will do you as a result of this Psalm today?

Psalm 7

Lord my God, I take refuge in you;
    save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
or they will tear me apart like a lion
    and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

Lord my God, if I have done this
    and there is guilt on my hands—
if I have repaid my ally with evil
    or without cause have robbed my foe—
then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
    let him trample my life to the ground
    and make me sleep in the dust.

Arise, Lord, in your anger;
    rise up against the rage of my enemies.
    Awake, my God; decree justice.
Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
    while you sit enthroned over them on high.
    Let the Lord judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,
    according to my integrity, O Most High.
Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
    and make the righteous secure—
you, the righteous God
    who probes minds and hearts.

10 My shield is God Most High,
    who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
    a God who displays his wrath every day.
12 If he does not relent,
    he will sharpen his sword;
    he will bend and string his bow.
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
    he makes ready his flaming arrows.

14 Whoever is pregnant with evil
    conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
    falls into the pit they have made.
16 The trouble they cause recoils on them;
    their violence comes down on their own heads.

17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;
    I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.

Vs 1-5: Look how seriously David takes sin and the consequences of sin. Those pursuing him are vicious like lions. Yet, David knows that if his sin has brought it about, he deserves whatever consequences God has in store for him. This is frightening! Thanks be to God for his grace that he does not treat us as our sins deserve!

Vs 6-9: These verses paint a picture of God judging the assembles peoples of the earth. David asks to be vindicated according to his own righteousness and integrity – although I wonder if David is looking forward to the perfect righteousness of his descendant, the Messiah – Jesus.

Vs 10-13: Look at the contrasts in these verses: God is a shield who saves the upright, but he is also preparing deadly weapons for those who do not relent in their evil. These verses are hard to read, but they’re important, too. The seriousness of sin and our need for a saviour are so clear!

Vs 14-16: In addition to the consequences of sin in God’s judgement (in the verses above), these verses show that true wisdom is found in this life in following God’s ways – and that life is much harder for those who by their sin dig pits in their life that they get stuck in. Of course – this isn’t a promise of ease for those who follow Jesus. We will still face trials in this life, but we will face them armed with God’s wisdom and strength!

Vs 17: The theme of this Psalm is God’s righteousness. A reason for great praise!

What will you do today as a result of this Psalm?

What will you pray today as a result of this Psalm?

Psalm 6

Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger;
do not discipline me in Your wrath.
Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak;
heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking;
my whole being is shaken with terror.
And You, Lord—how long?

Turn, Lord! Rescue me;
save me because of Your faithful love.
For there is no remembrance of You in death;
who can thank You in Sheol?

I am weary from my groaning;
with my tears I dampen my pillow
and drench my bed every night.
My eyes are swollen from grief;
they grow old because of all my enemies.

Depart from me, all evildoers,
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
The Lord has heard my plea for help;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and shake with terror;
they will turn back and suddenly be disgraced.

Vs 1-5: The Psalmist knows what his sins deserve: God’s anger and wrath. Yet, the Psalmist also knows God’s character: gracious.

Vs 1-5 Knowing God’s character, he can ask the Lord to rescue him. The purpose of rescue is interesting: not for peace now, or ease in this life – but so that he can live a life remembering (and I assume, praising, serving and glorifying) the gracious God who rescued him.

Vs 6-7: These are the kinds of verses that I’m so happy we have in the Psalms: true, honest, raw, words that call out to God in the midst of distress. We don’t have the same enemies as King David did (and, remember, that sometimes his enemies were his own children vying to take the throne away from him!). But our pain, our grief, our tears are just as real – and God knows – so let’s pour out our hearts to him.

Vs 8-10: There are some amazing truths here: The Lord hears the sound of our weeping. The Lord hears our pleas for help. And, most amazingly, the Lord accepts our prayers (even if he may not answer them in the ways we’d expect). What amazing access we have to our God in prayer.

Given this amazing access, why do I find myself neglecting prayer as much as I do?

What are you going to pray today as a result of this Psalm?

What are you going to do today as a result of this Psalm?

Psalm 5

Listen to my words, Lord,
    consider my lament.
Hear my cry for help,
    my King and my God,
    for to you I pray.

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
    in the morning I lay my requests before you
    and wait expectantly.
For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
    with you, evil people are not welcome.
The arrogant cannot stand
    in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
    you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
    you, Lord, detest.
But I, by your great love,
    can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
    toward your holy temple.

Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies—
    make your way straight before me.
Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
    their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
    with their tongues they tell lies.
10 Declare them guilty, O God!
    Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
    for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
    let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
    you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Vs 1-3: Pray! Pour out your heart to God. Share your pain, your lament, your grief. He knows how you feel – so there’s no need holding up a “brave face” before him. Ask him for help – he is powerful to provide. And after laying your requests before him, wait expectantly. He will answer – even if it’s not the answer we expected.

Vs 4-11: Do you read the list of sins in this section (vs4-6, 9-10) and realise (like I do) that it’s describing you? I am an arrogant wrongdoer. I can be a deceitful liar. I have no right to approach God in all his holiness. Yet vs7 has such great hope for me! By God’s great love I can come into his house! I can’t do this on my own. I need God to lead me in his righteousness.

Vs 11-12: I’m in a storm – all of life has its seasons – but today I feel the tumult of the storm around me. Grief, pain, exhaustion, sickness, the reality of life in this fallen world. What a wonderful refuge is our God! He protects us, surrounds us and shields us!

What are you going to pray as a result of this Psalm?

What are you doing to do today as a result of this Psalm?

Psalm 4

Answer me when I call to you,
    my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
    have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
    How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him.

Tremble and do not sin;
    when you are on your beds,
    search your hearts and be silent.
Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
    and trust in the Lord.

Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
    Let the light of your face shine on us.
Fill my heart with joy
    when their grain and new wine abound.

In peace I will lie down and sleep,
    for you alone, Lord,
    make me dwell in safety.

Vs 1: We have a God who hears us in our distress. All we need to do is call out to him.

Vs 2: The false gods that the Israelites followed were obviously idols. Our idols are more hidden: comfort, wealth, ease of life, entertainment. But they’re still idols.

Vs 3: I wonder if the faithful servant through whom I can call to God is his son Jesus?

Vs 4-5: God knows our hearts. He knows our sins. Only he can offer us forgiveness from them. Only he can help us put sin to death. God wants our hearts first and foremost – to sacrifice and to trust.

Vs 6-7: True prosperity is found not in wealth or wine or an abundant harvest. It is found in the light of God’s face shining on us. Right relationship with God is greater than anything in the world.

Vs 8: When you are right with God, there is no fear left – you can rest now and can await the rest that awaits you in the world to come.

What will you do differently today as a result of this Psalm?
What will you pray as a result of this Psalm?

Psalm 3

Lord, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
    “God will not deliver him.”

But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
I call out to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.

I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side.

Arise, Lord!
    Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
    break the teeth of the wicked.

From the Lord comes deliverance.
    May your blessing be on your people.

David wrote this Psalm in a time of extreme family turmoil (2 Samuel 13-17). His daughter Tamar was raped by her half-brother Amnon (David’s son by another wife). Tamar’s full-brother, Absalom, avenges Tamar’s honour by having Amnon killed. Absalom then turns his anger to his father, David, seeking to take the crown from him. All of this is happening while David wrote this Psalm.

Vs 1-2: David’s foes include his own son! Those who are saying that God won’t deliver him are those who ought to be praying to God for his favour on David, rather than proclaiming the opposite!

Vs 3-4: David’s protection, as in the days before he was King, are not in his own power, might or armour – but in God himself. In his distress he calls out to God – and God answers!

Vs 5-6: Knowing that God is his shield allows David to rest, despite the dire circumstances he finds himself in (with thousands of Absalom’s soldiers around him).

Vs 7-8: David won’t fight – he will let God fight the battle for him.

What will you do today as a result of this Psalm?

What will you pray as a result of this Psalm?

Psalm 2


Why do the nations conspire
    and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
“Let us break their chains
    and throw off their shackles.”

The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
    the Lord scoffs at them.
He rebukes them in his anger
    and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
“I have installed my king
    on Zion, my holy mountain.”

I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;
    today I have become your father.
Ask me,
    and I will make the nations your inheritance,
    the ends of the earth your possession.
You will break them with a rod of iron;
    you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
    be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear
    and celebrate his rule with trembling.
12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Vs 1-3: The rulers of this earth may stand opposed to God’s true rule.

Vs 4-6: The power of earthly rulers is nothing compared to the might and majesty of the one True God. It is he who will install his King.

Vs 7-9: God’s King is his son – and we know God’s son is the Lord Jesus. Because of what Jesus endured in becoming human, living a sinless life, dying and rising again, God has made the whole earth his. (Philippians 2:5-11).

Vs 10-12: The right response to God’s son is to serve him, celebrate him, pledge your complete allegiance to him. There are dire consequences for those who don’t.

Vs 12: But there is great hope, too – a promise that there is refuge to be found in God’s son.

What will you do today as a result of this Psalm?

What will you pray as a result of this Psalm?

Delighting in the Word of the Lord

Psalm 1

Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Will you delight in God’s Word with me?

Will you meditate on it by reading, thinking, mulling over, chewing on it (like a cow chews the cud)?

Will you let yourself be planted by streams of water, living water, that wells up to eternal life (John 4:14)?

Will you let it anchor you in the storms of life, so that you will not be blown away like chaff? Will you make sure you abide in him (John 15:4)?

Will you rest, knowing that God watches over the way of the righteous, knowing that God made Jesus who knew no sin to become sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)?

Will you read though the Psalms with me?

Lessons Learned and Blessings Bestowed through my Church’s Facebook Fellowship Group

Is your social media feed full of introvert memes like mine is?

Like this,

introvert 1

or this

introvert 2

or this?

covid-quarantine-self-isolation-introvertlife-70752058

Jokes and memes aside, for Christians, be they introverts or not (and I put myself firmly into the introvert category), the latest COVID-19 mitigation strategies have meant that our regular modes of fellowship aren’t currently available to us. Bible studies can’t meet, Churches are closed, and for many, even 1-to-1 meetings aren’t possible due to exposure risks – no matter how strictly we may adhere to social-distancing rules.

In God’s kindness, we do have access to alternative modes of meeting. Zoom conferences are prevalent, live-streamed or pre-recorded Church services are already up and running, and I’ve never sent so many texts or made so many social media posts in one week before (and that’s saying something, considering my prolific Facebook use!).

Online fellowship is our new normal for the foreseeable future. In this article, I want to share with you  two seasons in my life when I have personally benefited from my “Church Mum’s Facebook Group” and the lessons I have learned in both seasons. I also want to share some reflections on how God is using online fellowship to build his Church in this current season.

Season 1: Baby Boom

baby-821625_1280There must have been something in the water about 40 weeks before February 2015, because I know of a group of six friends who all gave birth within a one month period – and I was one of them.

One blessing that came from this was the idea of an online network where mums from our church could share what they needed prayer for. I can still remember where I was when the idea came to me, sitting in a rocking chair, cuddling a restless newborn in one arm and scrolling mindlessly through my Facebook feed with another (did I mention my prolific Facebook use?)

And so the  “Church mum’s Facebook Group” was formed.

It was so simple to set up, just make a Facebook group, make sure you enable the “secret” setting so the contents are sealed off from those who aren’t members, write a simple mission statement (we took ours from 1Thess 5:11: “Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing”) and bob’s your uncle: instant online fellowship – or so I thought.

I assumed that mums would naturally use the group as a place to share prayer points, encouraging verses, and helpful blog articles from around the web. In its early stages, however, the most frequent posts to the group were “buy, swap and sell” items. Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with reusing, repairing and recycling, but there are countless other groups that fullfil this purpose – our group was the only one on the whole of Facebook specifically created for the mums who attended our church.

And so I took the lead to shape the content of the group. The way I have done that has changed over the years. For a while I had different themes for days of the week: Monday was for personal prayer points, Wednesday was prayers for our world and our link-missionaries, Friday was prayers for our church.

In December last year I tried something new. I posted some verse art from the Gospel of Luke (one chapter from December 1 to December 24). This January, I decided we’d work through the Psalms and Proverbs every day this year, sharing a verse from Psalm 1 on January 1, Psalm 2 on January 2 and so on (enough for two runs through if we time it right).

Some days only one or two women like or comment. Other days there’s up to 10 or a dozen of the group’s 100+ strong membership actively engaging, although many more see the posts as they scroll through their feeds. But, fueled by my grandfather’s Scottish blood, I stubbornly post in season and out of season, trusting how God is at work, even if I have no idea who is reading it and if they find it helpful or not. Quite often, people tell me they do which is enough to spur me on to keep going.

My regularity in posting (which I sometimes wonder if people find annoying) also means that others feel more comfortable to post their own encouragements and questions. The group still has its occasional “buy/swap/sell” posts (which is fine!), but those posts are in the minority.

Lesson learned: Online fellowship groups need a few key members to keep them on track, and to take the scary (and sometimes discouraging) step of posting regular Kingdom-focused content, and to doggedly continue doing so even if some days it feels like no one notices, cares, or is benefiting from it.

Season 2: Living Overseas

passport-2714675_1280From September 2015 – January 2017, my family and I lived overseas. I was going to be teaching English at a University and so I expected that everyone in our city would have the same grasp of the English language that my students did. Boy was I in for a shock! When we moved into our apartment in the “Foreign Guest House”, the friendly staff at the front desk didn’t speak a word of English – and I could only say hello in their language (I soon had to learn how to say goodbye to them as I passed them every day on my way to work – after a few days of my silent nodding it was starting to get awkward!).

In God’s kindness we did find a place to worship, and some other English speakers to fellowship with. But my heart remained back home with my Church family in Australia, and I missed them all so much.

At the same time while we were away, our Church back home was hurting. It was a season of trial for all of them, and for some dear close friends in particular. I wanted to support my friends, to show my love for them and it’s really hard to do that when you can’t see them face to face (sound familiar?).

While I was overseas, that same “Church Mums’ Facebook Group” was my lifeline, my connection to my church. It was also the place where I could keep up with what was happening in my friends’ lives and learn the best way I could pray for them.

Lesson learned: Online fellowship groups will self-select participants who are needing the support the most in that season. If people need connection, they will seek it out, as long as they know where they can go to in the first place.

 Season 3: COVID-19 and Social Isolation

virus-4937553_1280Now to this present moment. This week, the “Church Mums’ Facebook Group” underwent its biggest change since we started it 5 years ago – it is now officially the “Church Women’s Facebook Group”. I woke up on Tuesday morning and I could no longer, in good conscience, seal-off the fellowship, friendship and support of our group from other women in my Church just because they hadn’t had children. And so now, the group is open to all women in our Church from ages 18-88  and beyond (although I think our current oldest members are in their 60s).

Who knows how God will use the group in this season? Nevertheless, I’m so thankful that where our physical congregations have been taken away, online congregations can continue.

Lesson learned: Cast as wide a net as you practicably can for membership in online fellowship groups in this season so that you can support as many people as possible. But make sure you utilise the “rules” feature to keep civility and godliness in content posted. Also, make sure your admins are being careful to delete content that isn’t God-honouring, neighbor-loving, and spiritually nourishing.

I hope this little journey through the above three seasons of online fellowship can help you as you face the challenges of how to encourage one another at this difficult time.

Man does not live by dunny-roll alone

Everyone has had different reactions to seeing empty shelves in supermarkets in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have taken it in their stride, continuing to shop as if nothing much has changed, with the trademark Aussie “she’ll be right” attitude. Others have done the opposite, with panic-buying creating a feedback loop that leads to more and more panic-buying and less and less items on the shelves.

For me, as I walked through my local supermarket this week and saw the last scraps of onions, no lettuce in the crispers, and very few options for fresh meat (not to mention the distinct lack of toilet paper), I was overcome by sadness. My reaction made me realise something about myself: I have lived in a time of such prosperity, such excess. Here I am in my late-30s and for the first time in my life I may have to go without something. I can’t get the type of eggs I want, it’s hard to get pasta, and the only reason my household has toilet paper is because I routinely buy a 6 month supply online and ours only arrived a month or so ago.

It’s not just millennials and gen-xers who share my experience of plenty. My baby-boomer mum has also never had a time in her life without easy access to the basics (she asked me to pick up some extra toilet paper for her at the shops today, even though they already had a 20 pack at home).

I had to go back to my granddad, who turns 94 this year, to find someone in my family who knows what scarcity looks like. My Poppa was born in Scotland in 1926, during the great depression, and served in the Royal Navy in WWII. He has memories of salted kippers as a staple when he was a kid, and has told me how he used to marveling at his Dad’s ability to leave not a skerrick on the bone. Waste not, want not.

There was another generation with an experience like mine, a people who had gotten so used to their plenty that when it was suddenly taken away, they didn’t know what to do. The book of Exodus describes how God worked through miraculous signs, warnings and plagues to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. After the final plague and Passover, after Egypt’s armies had perished in the Red Sea, it seemed like God’s people are truly convinced of his power and might. They even sing a song about it! (Exodus 15).

Yet, mere days after singing God’s praises (and mere verses after it is recorded), the Israelites find themselves without fresh drinking water. What do you think they’d do? They’d seen God’s miraculous rescue just days earlier, the answer seems so simple, and yet their response isn’t to pray. Instead, they grumble (15:25).

God soon provides clean water. Lesson learned, right? Wrong. In only the next chapter, we see what happens when the Israelites get hungry. This time, not only do they grumble (16:2), they actually wish to go back to Egypt, and hoped they’d died there! (16:3)

What does God do? Yet again he provides. This time it’s manna – bread from heaven that arrives in the morning, is sufficient for the day, and is rotten by next morning. Yet when the sun comes up, there it is again (with a double-portion on Fridays for a Sabbath-day’s rest).

Later, when the Israelites complain yet again, because they’re sick of eating manna, God provides even still. This time, it’s quail, and quail in abundance. God’s patience with the Israelites’ lack of faith is nevertheless running thin. In one of my favourite verses that shows God’s exasperation with the Israelites, he says,

“You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’ (Numbers 11:19-20).

But what for us? Is God going to provide the food we need? Is this a Biblical precedent I can use to assure me there will always be loo roll to spare? Is God demonstrating to us that the squeaky wheel gets the grease and all we need to do is complain as loudly and for as long as the Israelites did?

Absolutely not! There is a wider lesson here, one that Douglas K. Stuart helpfully points out:

[In the story of Manna from heaven] God was teaching them a concept: that he was the ultimate provider, the one who from heaven gave them not necessarily what they expected but what they really needed. Thus his satisfying them with the bread of heaven becomes a theme of Scripture that not only refers to the manna described in this account but to the ultimate provision of eternal sustenance, Christ himself (Exodus: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture).

Man does not live by bread alone, man doesn’t even live by tinned baked-beans or frozen veggies (or whatever the next item is that we all buy in bulk and clear out from the supermarket shelves). Man truly lives by the word who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14), God’s son Jesus. Jesus himself tells us this: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6: 35). He isn’t promising full bellies and quenched thirsts, he’s promising that our greatest spiritual need will be satisfied, and that our broken relationship with God will be healed.

God’s word doesn’t guarantee me completely-stocked supermarket shelves. But it does promise me that my spiritual and eternal needs are covered, completely provided for, in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.