And the Lord said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”
And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Exodus 17:5-6 NKJV
I have traveled through many wilderness areas. My husband’s cancer, my prodigal daughter, depression and fear so real you could touch it. You have walked through the wilderness yourself: a medical wilderness, a financial wilderness, a relational wilderness, or a spiritual wilderness. It is an unavoidable part of the Christian life.
How we handle our wilderness wonderings makes all the difference, because God meets us in those dry places. We will witness the unlimited power of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Like the shocked Israelites in Exodus chapter seventeen, we become dismayed in those barren places. It never takes God by surprise. Actually, God led His people by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night right into a place that lacked water. God isn’t caught off-guard by our diagnosis or the sudden accident.
Why didn’t the children of Israel ask Moses to talk to the Father? Why didn’t they suggest he stretch out the rod, the symbol of God’s power? They immediately went into panic mode, and so do we. Their intense anger threatened Moses’ life.
Rather than protest, let’s pray.
Instead of contending with the angry mob, Moses approached God. Something the Israelites should have done, and so should we.
Complaining invites stress. Prayer invites peace.
In response to Moses’ prayer, God instructed Moses to take the rod which he had used during the ten Egyptian plagues. He took some of the elders with him to witness God’s omnipotence. While God the Father stood on the rock, Moses struck it, and water poured out. The rock in this passage is a type of God the Son, Jesus Christ, and the water is a type of the Holy Spirit.
and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4NKJV)
A similar incident occurred in Numbers chapter twenty when God instructed Moses to speak to the rock. Since Christ, our Rock, was only to be smitten once for our sin, Moses wasn’t told to smite the rock on this occasion. Moses struck the rock twice. For that disobedience, Moses lost the blessing of personally entering into the Promised Land.
What wilderness are you in? Never forget the power of the Trinity. They come together in our times of need to provide what we lack. Refrain from complaining. All complaints are made against God. Commit to prayer, and know God has a plan. He has gone before you. His power dwells in you in the person of the Holy Spirit. A power unleashed by prayer.
Lord God, we often forget Your mighty power and Your vast wisdom. The wilderness surprises us, but not You. You are the surprise waiting to meet our wilderness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
HIKING THE TRAIL
Knowing you possess the power of three, how can you plan to respond to the wilderness differently? Release that power as you pray today. Prayer is our most powerful weapon.
DIG DEEPER
Read Exodus 17: 1-7
Copyright 2019 Carolyn Dale Newell.
Originally posted on August 21, 2020 @ 3:15 am