Think About It

“The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’

Moses replied, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?’

But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?

Then Moses cried out to the LORD, ‘What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ The LORD answered Moses, ‘Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you stuck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.’” (Exodus 17:1-7).

Observation:
At the command of the Lord, the Israelites camped, but there was no water to drink. You’d think that if God commanded a camping spot, there’d be plenty of water, as well as a buffet line and waiters to bring them coffee and dessert. You’d think if God planned it all the logistics would have been taken into consideration and a catering company would be waiting for the Israelites as they arrived.

Application:
There will be times, even though the Lord leads us, when we will find ourselves with sparse resources. Not enough money. Not enough help. Not enough encouragement. But it doesn’t mean that God is not in the situation. Being patient comes hard when I am thirsty after a long trek. We can react prematurely, jumping to the wrong conclusions about how God is working. In doing so, we make the desert a hotter place than it needs to be. 

God is not finished yet. Think about it – God had water stored in a rock!