Grace in the Desert ~ Exodus 17:1-7 ~ Third Sunday in Lent
Lately, I’ve developed the bad habit of losing my cell phone…
I’ve left it at home, at church, in the car, in my coat pocket, and even at the Waffle House…
And the second I realize that I’m not carrying it, I get this stabbing fear in the pit of my stomach…
I feel like I’ve lost a vital bodily organ… And all these worst-case scenarios begin circling in my mind…
What if the car breaks down? What if I’m stranded in the middle of nowhere, and the only house around has a sign out front that reads “trespassers will be shot.”
What if I miss an important call? The whole universe will collapse in on itself, and it’ll be all my fault.
Of course, I’m exaggerating. But to me, my cell phone is a lifeline. I’m never alone, because I can reach anyone, and anyone can reach me—provided we have each other’s numbers.
It’s a much better feeling to know I can be that in touch—rather than feeling “cut off.”
But what about those times and places in life when we feel as though we’re cut off from God?
In our first lesson from Exodus, the Israelites are in the desert. But don’t let the name of the wilderness fool you. They’re not in the wilderness because they’ve sinned. They’re there because God has miraculously freed them from slavery in Egypt. Thus far, God has miraculously provided manna and quail for food. But now, there’s the problem of thirst. There’s no water—and facing the danger of dehydration, the people begin to panic… That panic wipes from their memories all the miraculous acts God had done for them. Any measure of faith they had has evaporated in the dry desert air. Now, they want to be back in Egypt, where they were slaves, because at least there, they had water to drink. Moses is caught between the people are ready stone him, and God, who has yet to provide what the people desperately need.
Most of us know just how they feel. A crisis or tragedy strikes, and we’re in need. The problem doesn’t go away. So the question becomes, “is God among us or not?”
“If God was here, we wouldn’t be in need, right?” “If God was here, this terrible thing wouldn’t have happened, right?” “If God was here, everything would be okay, right?”
Such questions tempt us to put God to the test; and unless God immediately comes through, and supplies what we need in a timely manner, we won’t trust God. God will not be worthy of our faith.
Now let’s be clear—the Israelites wouldn’t have sinned by asking God to provide water. They needed it. Their sin was in rejecting God. They didn’t trust God. They believed that God or Moses led them into the desert to die. They refused to believe that God was still with them. They gave no thought to the fact that the only way out of Egypt led through the desert.
Do you still trust God, if other people’s lives and lifestyles appear “better” to us than our own. Do you trust God if things in your life aren’t like they used to be? Do you trust God in light of the person God has made you to be, with all your shortcomings and weaknesses? Do you trust God to get you through the desert, whatever it may be?
How quickly we forget the simple truth that God is faithful. If there’s a hurt, there’s a worry, there’s a need, we have only to take it to the Lord in prayer.
This is what Moses does—and Notice God’s answer: God directs Moses to leave the people, and go to the rock at Horeb. God doesn’t lead him to a river, but a rock. Moses will strike the rock, and water will come out of it. Kind of a strange command, isn’t it? But this is how God provides their water.
That’s the first lesson for us to learn here: we, too, must listen to God—because God’s Word assures us of God’s abiding care, even in the face of hardship. God’s ways are not always our ways. But the Word guides us in doing God’s will—because this is way to see that God is indeed among us.
One of the most powerful ways to know God’s presence is by interceding before God on behalf of others, which is what Moses does. Like the Israelites, we are a covenant community. We are bound to one another, by the promises of God. Therefore, when we intercede in prayer for each other, we become God’s means of caring for each other. Before believers and non-believers alike, we become living proof that God is indeed among us. God’s Spirit enables us to do what we would have otherwise been incapable or too afraid to do. We know God’s with us as we live out the Gospel together.
We also must remember God’s goodness to us in the past. How quickly we forget the awesome things God has done for us when we’re facing trouble. Our memories get wiped clean. But you see God today by remembering all the ways God has helped you in the past. God’s not giving up on you now. The God who was is the God who is and will always be, among us.
So when the troubles pile up and tomorrow looks so bleak, listen to God. Live as God desires for you to live. Do good to all. The proof of God’s presence is seen in the love and care we provide each other, and that we show forth to the world. So many in our world don’t know this live-giving truth that God is here. We can show them. God is healing our world; forgiving our sins, and bringing new life to where there is death.
Sometimes, God takes us through deserts to get us to the Promised Land. Sometimes, God uses rocks instead of rivers to give us water—but the only way to get there is to listen; to trust; to obey; and wait—because God keeps promises.
I’ve left it at home, at church, in the car, in my coat pocket, and even at the Waffle House…
And the second I realize that I’m not carrying it, I get this stabbing fear in the pit of my stomach…
I feel like I’ve lost a vital bodily organ… And all these worst-case scenarios begin circling in my mind…
What if the car breaks down? What if I’m stranded in the middle of nowhere, and the only house around has a sign out front that reads “trespassers will be shot.”
What if I miss an important call? The whole universe will collapse in on itself, and it’ll be all my fault.
Of course, I’m exaggerating. But to me, my cell phone is a lifeline. I’m never alone, because I can reach anyone, and anyone can reach me—provided we have each other’s numbers.
It’s a much better feeling to know I can be that in touch—rather than feeling “cut off.”
But what about those times and places in life when we feel as though we’re cut off from God?
In our first lesson from Exodus, the Israelites are in the desert. But don’t let the name of the wilderness fool you. They’re not in the wilderness because they’ve sinned. They’re there because God has miraculously freed them from slavery in Egypt. Thus far, God has miraculously provided manna and quail for food. But now, there’s the problem of thirst. There’s no water—and facing the danger of dehydration, the people begin to panic… That panic wipes from their memories all the miraculous acts God had done for them. Any measure of faith they had has evaporated in the dry desert air. Now, they want to be back in Egypt, where they were slaves, because at least there, they had water to drink. Moses is caught between the people are ready stone him, and God, who has yet to provide what the people desperately need.
Most of us know just how they feel. A crisis or tragedy strikes, and we’re in need. The problem doesn’t go away. So the question becomes, “is God among us or not?”
“If God was here, we wouldn’t be in need, right?” “If God was here, this terrible thing wouldn’t have happened, right?” “If God was here, everything would be okay, right?”
Such questions tempt us to put God to the test; and unless God immediately comes through, and supplies what we need in a timely manner, we won’t trust God. God will not be worthy of our faith.
Now let’s be clear—the Israelites wouldn’t have sinned by asking God to provide water. They needed it. Their sin was in rejecting God. They didn’t trust God. They believed that God or Moses led them into the desert to die. They refused to believe that God was still with them. They gave no thought to the fact that the only way out of Egypt led through the desert.
Do you still trust God, if other people’s lives and lifestyles appear “better” to us than our own. Do you trust God if things in your life aren’t like they used to be? Do you trust God in light of the person God has made you to be, with all your shortcomings and weaknesses? Do you trust God to get you through the desert, whatever it may be?
How quickly we forget the simple truth that God is faithful. If there’s a hurt, there’s a worry, there’s a need, we have only to take it to the Lord in prayer.
This is what Moses does—and Notice God’s answer: God directs Moses to leave the people, and go to the rock at Horeb. God doesn’t lead him to a river, but a rock. Moses will strike the rock, and water will come out of it. Kind of a strange command, isn’t it? But this is how God provides their water.
That’s the first lesson for us to learn here: we, too, must listen to God—because God’s Word assures us of God’s abiding care, even in the face of hardship. God’s ways are not always our ways. But the Word guides us in doing God’s will—because this is way to see that God is indeed among us.
One of the most powerful ways to know God’s presence is by interceding before God on behalf of others, which is what Moses does. Like the Israelites, we are a covenant community. We are bound to one another, by the promises of God. Therefore, when we intercede in prayer for each other, we become God’s means of caring for each other. Before believers and non-believers alike, we become living proof that God is indeed among us. God’s Spirit enables us to do what we would have otherwise been incapable or too afraid to do. We know God’s with us as we live out the Gospel together.
We also must remember God’s goodness to us in the past. How quickly we forget the awesome things God has done for us when we’re facing trouble. Our memories get wiped clean. But you see God today by remembering all the ways God has helped you in the past. God’s not giving up on you now. The God who was is the God who is and will always be, among us.
So when the troubles pile up and tomorrow looks so bleak, listen to God. Live as God desires for you to live. Do good to all. The proof of God’s presence is seen in the love and care we provide each other, and that we show forth to the world. So many in our world don’t know this live-giving truth that God is here. We can show them. God is healing our world; forgiving our sins, and bringing new life to where there is death.
Sometimes, God takes us through deserts to get us to the Promised Land. Sometimes, God uses rocks instead of rivers to give us water—but the only way to get there is to listen; to trust; to obey; and wait—because God keeps promises.
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