“Strike The Rock,

And Water Will Come Out Of It”

 

 

From the wilderness of sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” but the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The LORD said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

 

Exodus 17:1-7

 

The Jews complained about everything. They complained about food and water everyday. They had come to the conclusion they would have been better off as slaves. But that was not what God had planned for His people. He had something better. If they could have made the leap of faith to trust God, He would still have known of their needs, and still would have provided for them. They were anxious. They could not wait. They really were the first “me” generation.

 

We have not changed much. We still want things in our time. We don’t understand the lessons God teaches us with time. We should now know that God will never ever allow us to be tested beyond our means. When the thirst of the Jews became overwhelming, Moses sought the LORD. He believed and obeyed, and the water literally gushed from the stone. We should never ever forget that God provides for us, in His time, not in our time. They did not know that, we do.

 

Sometimes life can seem like an arid desert. But God can quench our spiritual thirst in the most unlikely circumstances. When by faith we believe the promises of God’s Word, we can experience rivers of living water and grace for our daily needs. It really is all about faith.

 

Only Jesus, the Living Water,

 can satisfy our thirst for God.

 

Our Daily Bread – December 18, 2008