Exodus 16-17

The Israelites left Egypt about a month and a half ago. They are traveling from Elim to the wilderness of Sin. As they travel they complain to Moses and Aaron and wonder why they couldn't have died in comfort of food back in Egypt instead of starving out in the wilderness. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day.” And this is exactly what God did.

In Exodus 17 as the Israelites are traveling they complain again saying there is no water to drink. They ask Moses again why he brought them out there to suffer. God then tells Moses “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And that is exactly what God did.

This passage says a lot about God’s faithfulness and trusting in what God’s provision, but it also says a lot about the power of reflection and testimony. There are so many times when we “complain” about our circumstances. Whether it's a bad grade on a test, family problems, or because you actually don’t have money to buy food for yourself, we get discouraged about the things that we don't have. We look at our situation and define our lives based on a worldly perspective. The thing is that God doesn't look at our lives with a worldly perspective. He sees the things that we think we are lacking and sees an opportunity for us to not only trust Him, but also for Him to provide in ways that are better than we can even dream of.

So this is where remembering and reflecting comes in to play. In order to trust God for the future we have to look to the past. In the passage the Israelites were clearly not remembering what God had done in the past for them, because they were complaining for water just a chapter God had provided all the food they needed. We have to remember the ways that He has shown up in His fullness for us in the past. We have to ask God what the truth of the situation is and believe in His consistency. When we remember and reflect on what God has done for us so we can walk more confidently into the future knowing the truth that God provides. He knows us so well that He knows exactly what we need.

Pray that the Holy Spirit would remind you of the things God has done for you, and for real faith to believe in His goodness. Ask that He would make you completely reliant on Him for provision, because God has a life that is literally better for us than anything we could dream of!
 
Author | Kourtney Axelberg