A Moment With Godনমুনা

WHERE ARE YOU?

The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”

Where are we right now? Is our situation similar to our earlier situations are is it a new one? The people of Israel found themselves in similar situations.

In Exodus 15 the Israelites were unable to drink water because the water was bitter; in Exodus 16 they didn't have food; in Exodus 17 they did not have water. In all these situations, their response was only to grumble. It cannot be a natural response, not when we know the answer.

Therefore, the Lord says: Why are you testing me? Testing God is when we know the power of God and when we have experienced the hand of God in the past in different situations. Now to doubt Him continually and keep on grumbling and questioning His authority is what testing is all about.

He gives them a promise in Exodus 16:20. Inspite of having the promise, when we question and grumble, it pains the heart of God.

Their problem was their inability to face crisis. One crisis is enough for us to falter. We forget to look back and see how much He has blessed us.

Crisis brings out our spiritual condition. It is not the number of hours we spend in reading the Scripture or praying, it is not our effectiveness in preaching or ministry, the real test of our faith is seen when we face crisis.

Travelling from place to place as the Lord commanded, why wouldn't the Lord provide for them when they faced difficulty?

No situation is difficult for our Lord to handle, no place is new that the Lord has not visited. He is sovereign. Instead of trusting Him, they were testing Him. The response to a crisis is the evidence of our spiritual maturity.

Most of us realize that our own strength is not always enough to get through some of the situations that life brings. At those difficult times, it is wise to call on God for extra strength and for His strength to help sustain us when our own strength fails.

Where are we today? Massah and Meribah? Testing and quarelling? Do we constantly question the Lord? Let the Lord enable us to move out, to trust Him and not to test Him.

Crisis are blocks to build your faith and not to block your faith.