The Lord is Among us
Exodus 17:5 – The LORD said to Moses, “Go over before the people; take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile and go. 6 – I will be standing before you there on the rock in Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in plain view of the elders of Israel. 7 – He called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contending of the Israelites and because of their testing the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
The Israelites tested the Lord. They figured that if the Lord was really among them they wouldn’t suffer from hunger. So God gave them manna and He gave them quail. And then they figured that if the Lord was really among them they wouldn’t suffer from thirst. So, picture this: Pillar of cloud by day. Pillar of fire by night. Manna in the morning. Quail in the evening. But they concluded that God can’t be with them if they are thirsty – a total denial of all the other evidence to the contrary.
Sounds so crazy! Yet, I wonder…how often am I like these foolish Israelites: judging God based on the prayers that don’t get answered the way I want them answered – or even going so far as to entertain doubt about whether God is actually with me, then using my faulty conclusions to justify being in grumpy moods towards those closest to me. Why do we contend with God like this when we daily benefit from His mercies?
The Lord is with you!! Never entertain the doubts. Let’s believe in Him and not be guilty of faithlessness. We may suffer from hunger and thirst. We may suffer from illness and accident. We may suffer from storm and trouble. But remember the Lord who parted the Red Sea! He was always with the Israelites even through their hunger and thirst. The pillars of cloud and fire were with them through all their discomfort. Instead of stressing let’s stand still and see the salvation of the Lord and know that He is with us no matter what and He will do the impossible for us all because His love never fails!
Where two are gathered 