The Feed Mill

Today’s Bible Reading: Exodus 17-20

Today’s Devotional: Exodus 17:1-7

Exodus 15:22-27 the children had come to the bitter waters, they complained against Moses and God had made them sweet,

Exodus 16 the children of Israel had come to a place of hunger and complained against Moses, and God fed them.

Exodus 17:1-3 the children of Israel come now again to another place of their basic necessities needing to be met, and they again begin the same way as they had before in Exodus 15 & 16, they once again complained and came against Moses. The children of Israel had already witnessed so much that the Lord had already done for them and even meeting their basic needs of food and water. But the children of Israel failed to look back and remember the goodness of God in the past and carry that forward to this situation now. The children of Israel had been led to a place now where there was no water at all, not even bitter water. And they were going to have to make a decision of whether or not they were going to trust God for meeting their needs when the odds seemed so against them.

In times of lacking, of stress, and of difficulty we are prone to imagine that God has abandoned us, or believe that we were wrong to believe that God was ever with us or that we should trust Him. It was in God’s previous providing that the children of Israel were to learn to wait on the Lord and that He cares for them and desires to provide for them.

Exodus 17:4 We see Moses’ response, he cried unto the Lord. This is the response that trusting God produces. It’s requesting of Him when there is need and not accusing Him of failing to love us.

Exodus 17:5-6 We also see God’s response to the children of Israel tempting Him, God had everything necessary to condemn Israel, but instead God showed mercy and grace toward the children of Israel.

This instance is a good lesson, that in the things that appear to be impossible God has a desire and a plan. God desires to continually show His favor toward us. When we come to points in our life where we are lacking, stressed, and of difficulty it’s that time to turn towards the Lord, not to pack up and head back to our former self and our former way of Life. God loves you, and just as God desired the children of Israel to trust Him and His timing, it’s the same in your life, God desires that our knowledge of Him and His ways be increased, so that we will not be tossed around by our present circumstances, Ephesians 4:13-14. And in Ephesians 4:2 Paul lists not only how it is that we operate around others but also how it is that we relate to God as His children.