Caleb Walker

From Exodus 17 and I Corinthians 10:4

     Life is filled with many frustrating circumstances, and we often hang our heads in despair. The burdens and cares of life from car repairs to spiritual burdens, our ;longings for spiritual maturity and Christlikeness, the concerns for a wayward loved one, to challenging projects, financial cares, to any number of things—you name it—often impact so much that we throw our hands up in despair. We cry out, “What’s the use?!” Let God do a miracle in your heart.

     God had used Moses to bring the Israelite nation out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, past the waters of Marah that he turned from bitter to sweet, through miles and miles of the wilderness, and here at Rephidim we find them complaining once-again. This time it was with an intensified, accusatory nature. Moses was overwhelmed, upset, despairing, and hanging his head. He cried out to God and God instructed him to strike the rock from which water miraculously poured.

     Paul relates this Old Testament account to Christ in I Corinthians 10:4. If we pause to meditate on what Paul says it will truly make a miraculous difference in our hearts, our hope, and outlook. Paul basically says “Remember Israel when they were so thirsty and doubting God that it got the better of them and they turned on Moses and started accusing him and implicit in their accusations they were accusing God along with him. Remember that? They were angry and Moses was overwhelmed. Yet God mercifully quenched their thirst and gave them something to drink from a rock. This is the miraculous way our God works. We find that He doesn’t just work to quench our thirst, which he generously loves to do for us, as He is a good heavenly Father, but He does this in a very specific way to not only take care of our thirst but take care of our hearts. God used that experience to point the Israelites and our hearts to the only One who can quench the thirsting and longing of our sin-sick souls, Jesus. Jesus went to the cross and was struck for us. He willingly took the blows, the embarrassment, the shame, the rejection, the pain, the weight of sin, the estrangement from His heavenly Father—Jesus took our blows that we deserve, and He was in Himself our water of eternal life. He thus takes all the brokenness that overwhelms us and casts His redeeming promises over them.” He rose from the dead and gave us eternal life.

     Are you overwhelmed at how God might provide in your burdensome situation today. Look to the Rock of Christ struck, slain for you and drink from the soul-satisfying waters of life in His written Word, conveyed to us in His person which is the incarnate Word. Drink! He will satisfy you! Drink! He will see you safely through in this life and in eternity with Him to come. Drink!

How to Pray:

• Thank You for being the Rock struck for me.
• I am overwhelmed in these ways. List them off and share your burdens and concerns with him with faith that he has the answers and the strength to see you through them.
• I leave these burdens at Your nail-pierced feet and trust You to provide a way through them and to provide the soul-sustaining and satisfying grace in Your Son and Your Word that I need to walk through them.