God is intentional. He leads us exactly where He wants us to be. In life, there will be times when God leads us to a dry place deliberately.
How we respond to barren seasons determines our ability to move forward.
22 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.[b] 24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
EXODUS 15:22-24 ESV
When we look at the people of Israel as they journeyed through the wilderness, we gain priceless wisdom for navigating dry places. The Israelites had just experienced the mighty hand of God deliver them from Eygpt. They walked through the Red Sea on dry land and entered the wilderness. They were just full of praise and now, three days later, they’re filled with doubt. They directed their questioning at Moses instead of remembering God, who had just performed miraculous works to deliver them.
25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log,[c] and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
EXODUS 15:25-27 ESV
There the Lord[d] made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, 26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.
But Moses turned to the one who had provided the path to freedom, he cried out to God. And God responded. God allowed Moses to use what was available to meet their needs. In verse 26, God gives a command. He tells the people of Israel that if they listen and do what is right, then God will heal them. This was a test. This was God using bitter water to show the Israelites that they still didn’t trust Him. They had seen this miracle of splitting the Red Sea, but that wasn’t enough to cause them to see God as completely trustworthy. And yet, God still takes them to a place of twelve springs of water, more than enough to supply their needs. He takes them from a place of dryness to bitterness to sweetness to an abundance of fresh water.
Instead of punishing the Israelites for their lack of faith, God gives them the cheat code for the tests ahead. God instructs them to listen to His voice and follow His commandments. That’s it. Sounds simple. But simple isn’t always easy.
All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 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 Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah[a] and Meribah,[b] because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
EXODUS 17:1-7 ESV
In Exodus 17, we see another dry place. Another test. And we see how the Israelites responded, more quarreling. More doubt. It’s clear that the provision of God along the way has not swayed their belief in God’s power. They still don’t trust the Lord to provide for their most basic need of water. They still question His presence.
How do you respond in dry places?
Do you question God’s provision, presence, or purpose? OR Do you listen to His voice and follow His commands?
Dry seasons bring questions out of our souls. Whenever we look at our surroundings and see a lack of resources, we start to wonder. We start to worry about provision. Even though we know God supplies all of our needs, we start to look to other people or things to get what we think we need. We start to grumble and complain about our situation instead of looking to the only one who can change everything.
In order for us to move through dry places and barren seasons, we have to be willing to be obedient. We have to steward our situations well. When we choose to respond with prayer and follow commands, we are able to glean wisdom and move forward to the next season. But if we hesitate, we will be met with test after test, until God works our unbelief out of us. Let’s commit to responding to God with trust so that we can move through dry places instead of dwelling in them.
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