Trust In God...No Matter What

Numbers 20:2-5 -  Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron.  They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord!  Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here?  Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”

The wanderings in the wilderness brought them to another mountain.  It was a tough time for them…for Miriam had died and was buried there…and once again they found no source of water for them or their livestock.  And since the people had never caught on that God could take care of this small issue too...they grumbled and complained to Moses that they never should have followed him here.

It was Moses breaking point.  He went straight to God…and had the directions for how to supply them water….but he let his frustration finally erupt ...and in his frustration hit the rock instead of call out to it like God said. We know this moment to be the reason God did not allow Moses or Aaron to step foot in the Promised Land…but my heart can’t stop thinking about how the thoughts actions of these people drove Moses and Aaron to stop relying on God completely.

What we say and do in the presence of others shows them our complete trust…or our complete lack of faith in God. It is beyond my understanding….how could this people…who had witnessed so many mind blowing miracles…doubt for a second that God could bring them a source of water. Perhaps it was their lack of a personal relationship with God like Moses had.  Perhaps it was the years of abuse and hard conditions they had lived under.  Perhaps it was just easier to complain.

It is a great reminder to me to be careful how I word everything I say.  One simple complaint…or a string of them…could alter someone’s ideas of the God I say I love and trust with all my heart. I have a friend…who is going through some tough times.  She models for me how to react to every new problem when she says…God’s going to take care of this too. I ask her why she thought God was allowing her to go through so much…and she replied … “Cause God knows I’m going to praise him no matter what.”

Father… thank you for the reminder that I need to trust you with everything…even when things seem tough. Forgive me for the times that my words in hearing of others have given them a skewed impression of my love for you…and my trust in you.  Help me to always be positive... to trust in your provision for everything that I need.  Amen.