And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. -Number 20:11, 12 (KJV)
Over the last two weeks we have been blessed here in southwest Virginia with an abundance of rain. Hopefully, this soaking will be a help to the underground water table should we face a drought later on. There is a 12 inch drain pipe at the corner of our yard which carries water from a source somewhere in the hills above the house. Last week during the rain, the flow of water was so great the pipe was overwhelmed and the water was literally gushing from the pipe. As I watched the water flowing I recalled the incident recorded in Numbers 20 where the Bible says Moses struck the rock with his staff and water flowed forth. As a result the Israelites had the water they needed and the people were saved.
This scenario, however, was a problem for the people. Rather than trust God and move forward in faith they had complained bitterly about their situation. “Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!” (Numbers 20:3). The situation was further complicated when Moses failed to follow God’s instructions. The Lord clearly told Moses to speak to the rock (V 8), yet in his apparent exasperation Moses had hauled off and smacked the rock with his staff – twice. The people had their water, yet the Lord was displeased with them. Failure to trust God and take Him at His Word always presents problems when we then try to move forward.
The simple axiom of “God will provide” is basic, yet absolutely true. The Lord will lead us where He intends for us to go; ours is to be faithful and follow His will at all times. I realize in my own life my exasperation has caused me to act out of emotion rather than faith. I too have spiritually struck at the rocks of difficulty in my life rather than speak soothing words of faith and belief. God provided, but I missed out on the blessing of having believed the Lord without question. When we take God at His Word we are empowered to move forward in faith regardless of how bleak the situation appears.
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