Trust the God Who Brings Water out of a Rock

Daily Devotional – Thursday, December 1, 2022
He also brought streams out of the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers.
Psalms 78:16 (NKJV)

The children of Israel had been in the desert for some time now but life was getting harder according to most of them. The Wilderness of Zin there was no water, only sand and rocks. They feared they would die of thirst.

In Hot Water for a Reason

The Israelites turned they anger on Moses and Aaron. The moaned and blamed their leaders for deliberately leading them into the harsh wilderness. The former slaves wished they had remained in Egypt where they had not lacked water.

Was God wrong in leading them into the desert? Did God deliberately intend to harm the children of Jacob? Why did He not just take them straight to Canaan? What was the reason for allowing them to experience extreme thirst?

The Rock Shall Yield Water

The answers to these questions are in the event that followed. After Moses and Aaron had cried to the Lord for help, God told Moses:
“Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” (Numbers 20:8).

Rivers in the Desert

God was about to perform a miracle that would prove He loved His people and was not limited like them. While Moses did not follow God’s instructions when he struck the rock, “water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.” (Verse 11).

The last place one would expect water to come from, especially in the desert is a rock. The Israelites learnt God was in control and could provide for them in ways they could not have imagined.

Streams in the Wilderness

The same God still brings water out of rocks. He heals people who are on their deathbeds. The God of the wilderness restores broken relationships. He provides food and water during famine and drought. This God gives jobs to the desperate.

Water out of rocks may come in the form of an avowed atheist who submits to the Lordship of Jesus. The drunkard and drug addict who society has written off will one day comprise rivers in the desert.

God Brings Water out of the Rock

Because God performs the extraordinary, we need not give up on ourselves because of current unwelcome circumstances. Neither should we give up on others who seem forgotten by God. Remember, God “brings streams out of the rock and causes waters to run down like rivers.” (Psalms 78:16).

Prayer
Almighty God, I know You will intervene in my situation because only You can bring water out of a rock.