Text: Exodus 17:1-7
Memory Verse: “So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?’” (Exodus 17:7).
In the course of their journey through the Wilderness of Sin to the Promised Land, the Israelites were thirsty for water at Rephidim. Typically, they descended on Moses with their barrage of complaints and accusations that he
had brought them, their children, and livestock up out of Egypt, to kill them with thirst. A striking question that exposed the state of their mind was, “Is the LORD among us or not?” In essence, their yardstick for measuring God’s presence with them was the availability of food, water, and all the comforts they desired.
In their judgement, if they lacked anything that resulted in discomfort or hardship, it indicated that God was not with them. Contrast this disposition with that of Joseph who went from slavery to prison for no just cause, but never questioned God’s presence with him. Rather he saw his affliction as a means of God sending him before his brothers to Egypt to preserve life (Genesis 45:5b). For Job, challenges of life, even if they resulted in death, solidified his trust in God (Job 13:15). For Paul, the Apostle, he was persuaded that no form of trial or affliction, including death, could separate him from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38&39).
What is your yardstick for determining whether or not God is with you? Do the challenges of life make you doubt God’s presence with you or do you take Him for His promise that He is with you always?
Prayer Points:
1. Father, I thank You for Your promise to always be with me.
2. Lord, may I never doubt Your presence with me in my times of difficulty.
