“And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” (Exodus 17:3).
TEXT — Exodus 17:1-6
Message
When some Christians run into challenges, they tend to react on the spur of the moment. They forget the faithfulness of God in the past, and instead, begin to yearn for a quick fix.
The Israelites had been on a journey from Egypt through the desert. They were heading to Canaan, the land that God had promised to give them. Whilst the journey was according to the commandment of God, there were daunting challenges every so often.
Their response each time was to complain against their leader, Moses, and sometimes against God. Yet, each time problems arose, God always intervened to satisfy their yearnings.
As they rose in protest against Moses, accusing him of bringing them from Egypt to kill them in the desert, he in turn cried out to God for help. The Lord’s prescription this time was curious. First, He asked Moses to take witnesses from among the elders of the people. Second, He showed him the rock to go to in Horeb. Third, He promised to stand before Moses by the rock, while Moses was to strike the rock with his rod. Fourth, He assured him that when this was done, water would gush out freely from the rock. Moses did as the Lord commanded, and water came out for the Israelites to drink.
When a problem arises in life, we often think that God is not aware of it. How mistaken we are! For God knows all things and sees the ending from the beginning. Even if our lives are right with God, He would still allow us to face challenges sometimes, to test our faith, and to see how far we are willing to trust Him. Instead of questioning God or blaming others, we must at such a time, be confident that there is nothing impossible with God.
Thought for the day
Believe in God’s love for you: He knows you and cares about everything that concerns you.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
