Exodus 17:3a But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses….
I have seen God work through my circumstances enough that I should not doubt His presence and providence, and yet, just like the Israelites, I find myself, when dealing with a certain situation that’s been an issue for a decade or more, asking, “Is the LORD among us or not?” (Ex 17:7). Jesus, Help me.
Exodus 17:3b …They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
The irony is not lost on me that on the one hand I am thinking, “What is wrong with the Israelites? They have so much evidence of the LORD’s presence and provision, yet they doubt His sovereignty,” while on the other hand I have just as much evidence of His presence and provision in my own life, and I’m still whining about the fact that there is no sense of resolution for this ongoing issue in my life. Jesus, Help me.
Exodus 17:4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people?….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this wake-up call that I am being just as bitter, just as stubborn, just as whiny and hard-hearted as the Israelites in my attitude. I believe that You are with me in all things, even this. Help me to lay down my anger, bitterness, defensiveness, and fear and to trust that You’ve got me, that You’ve got all of us, that You are in control, that You are making a way, even if we cannot yet perceive it. Draw me closer. Help me surrender this issue completely to You. Amen.
Exodus 17:7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
Have a blessed day.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.