Praying in the Wilderness

Background: Empowered by Almighty God, Moses and Aaron rescued the Hebrew people from the power of Pharaoh, leading them out of Egypt and into freedom. Pharaoh pursued them into the Red Sea (or Sea of Reeds) where he and his army perished while the people of God stayed safe.

Throughout this spiritual battle, God remained faithful to every promise, every word, every warning given to Moses.

God gave the plan of escape.
God provided.
God guided.
God encouraged.
God empowered
God protected.

Then the enormous crowd – perhaps in the millions – found themselves far from the only homes and lives they had known in a desert where all of their gold and precious jewelry did them no good. They were free! Yet they knew nothing of freedom. They were no longer under the protection and power of Pharaoh, but of God. Yet they knew little about the LORD. And they were thirsty.

“For three days, the people traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to an oasis, the water was too bitter to drink, so they called the place Marah (which means ‘bitter.’)

“Then the people turned against Moses, complaining and crying, ‘What are we going to drink?’

“Moses cried out to the LORD for help, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. Moses cast the wood into the water, and the water became sweet and good to drink.

“There at Marah the LORD made a rule and law for the people to live by and to show their loyalty. And God said, ‘If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in God’s sight, obeying the commands and decrees of the LORD, then I will put on you none of the diseases brought onto the Egyptians, for I Am the LORD Who heals you.’

“Then the people traveled on to Elim, which had twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and the people camped near the water,” Exodus 15:22-27.

Questions: Have you ever had to go three days without water? Would being in the desert make such a trial even more difficult? Did God know where water was? Did God know where the people were? Why do you think the LORD withheld a basic necessity? Is it possible that God was trying to train the people to pray at the first hint of a problem? Did they know to do that? Did Moses? Do we?

Prayer: Dear LORD God, forgive me for complaining about problems instead of immediately turning to You in prayer. Help me to remember Your goodness. Thank You for guiding, encouraging, providing, and protecting me every day.

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© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved. 

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