Is the Lord Among Us Or Not?

The relationships between the Lord and the people of Israel during the time of Exodus is a great lesson for all of us, of things to do and things not to.

After the Lord had displayed His power through what He did to Pharaoh and the people of Egypt, the Israelites were finally able to leave that country for a promised land. The journey of coming out of Egypt is truly miraculous, as it was accompanied by miracle after miracle before the very eyes of the Israelites.

They crossed the Red Sea, leaving the Egyptians swept into it. They walked on the dry ground without any harm, while their persecutors were covered by water. When there was no drinking water available, Moses prayed to the Lord and the Lord asked him to throw a stone into it, for the water to become sweet. When the food became a problem, the Lord Himself provided manna from heaven, together with quail.

So every need of His people was taken care of. When the time came to face another obstacle on their way to the promise land, the people of Israel couldn`t help complaining to Moses about it. As they reached a place called Rephidim, they found out that there was no water again, which made them complain to Moses, asking him if the Lord was among them or not. But the Lord performed another miracle through Moses and He gave them water from the rock.

Just think about it for a minute. Those people saw the wonders of God before their very eyes. They saw how the Lord was taking care of them, providing water and food and dealing with enemies on their behalf. But still it was not enough for them to know the Lord personally, know His character, His heart towards them and His good intentions.

They could have seen another difficulty or obstacle in their way as a chance for the Lord to manifest Himself in the greater way, a chance to surprise them and fight for them. But instead, the only question the people of Israel could ask Moses and each other was: “Is the Lord among us or not?" How could it be that the same people who saw the hand of God on their lives, couldn’t see Him any more when faced with difficulties?

This story made me think about us. As Christians, we go through difficulties at times, when we face obstacles on the path of our calling or simply feeling like we’re hitting a brick wall and our breakthrough is a far away dream. What do we ask ourselves? What question goes to the Lord from the bottom of our heart? What do we even tell others? Do we complain like the people of Israel that the Lord has forgotten us, or do we ask Him to manifest His glory, His power, and His miracles through the difficulties we’re going through? Do we learn about His character and His attitude towards us through these difficult times and grow in trust with every single victory He grants, or do we still doubt His love for us when things get tough?

I want to encourage you today to ask the Lord to help you in knowing His heart for you personally when you are facing tough times. May your weakness be an opportunity for Him to show how strong He is. And with every victory He’s going to grant you in life, may you know His character, so that when a new problem comes your way, you’ll say, like David ‘In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall’ (Psalm 18:29, NLT).

Prayer: Lord, thank You that, in my weakness, You are strong. Help me to know Your heart for me when things get tough in life, so that my trust in You will never be shaken, in Jesus name, Amen.