Looking at how God delivered and miraculously led the people of Israel out of Egypt, Milly shares her thought of the week; is the Lord going to take care of us or not?
It’s just so awesome to see how God delivered and miraculously led the people of Israel out of Egypt. And he was with them every step of the way, a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. What an awesome manifestation of his presence, and yet this journey wasn’t without difficulties.
We see that early on they were seemingly trapped between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea and they complained and rebelled. We know that Yahweh miraculously took them through the Red Sea. But then following that there was no water, then no food and then again no water. And each time they complained and rebelled.
As I meditated over this, I asked the Lord why this had to be the case. He could have put everything in place so that the people would not face any challenges, which would have meant no complaining or rebelling. We see, for instance, that immediately after God delivered them from Egypt, he led them through the wilderness rather than through Philistine territory, which would have been a significantly shorter route. The reason? He didn’t want them to have to battle with the Philistines.
As I listened, I felt God was saying that he wants us to experience him as the one who provides for all our needs. He wants us to be aware of that. He is the answer to our spiritual needs as well as our physical needs. It is as we go through the challenges of life that we learn to depend on him, to look to him as our source for everything. So sometimes he will take us around the valley so that we avoid the storms. But at other times we will go through the valley, but he will be with us all the way. The fact that we will be walking in the will of God doesn’t mean our path will be problem free.
Secondly, this story and all of the Old Testament narratives teach us how good, patient and loving our daddy God is. Sometimes we make the mistake of not trusting him, of complaining and rebelling over and over again. Yet he doesn’t sit there shaking his head in despair. He doesn’t give up on us. I was particularly struck by the response of the Israelites the second time they found themselves without water. Exodus 17 tells us that the people argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying,
Is the Lord among us or not?
Exodus 17:7
Basically, they were asking, “is the Lord going to take care of us or not?” And this question just drips with sarcasm.
I’m sure we’re all wondering how they could even ask that question. This was less than three months since God had displayed his power and sovereignty by parting the Red Sea for them to walk through. And yet, how many times do we not find ourselves doing the same thing they did? How often do we not forget God’s goodness to us, the way he stepped in to rescue us in a difficult situation in the past? How often do we not complain and rebel? The thing is that he is the same God yesterday, today and forever. He is our daddy God, as well as the creator of the universe. He is the God of power and might, God of miracles and God of the impossible. We may not know how he’s going to solve the problem. It might not be in the way we imagined, but we believe he will make a way.
So back to the question, is the Lord going to take care of us or not? And the answer is a resounding yes. So when we face life’s storms, may we go back to our memory stones, our experiences that remind us of what God has done for us in the past, of the ways in which he has come through for us.
He has delivered us before. He will do it again. Amen.
Every week one of our members shares a short thought aiming to inspire you for the week. You can watch previous Thought For The Week videos by clicking here.