Journey to the Cross 
Pause
God is with us and gives us hope. When things feel heavy, and we are afraid, angry, or bewildered, God holds us close and goes with us.
Listen
The whole Israelite community broke camp and set out from the Sin desert to continue their journey, as the Lord commanded. They set up their camp at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people argued with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”
Moses said to them, “Why are you arguing with me? Why are you testing the Lord?”
But the people were very thirsty for water there, and they complained to Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”
So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with this people? They are getting ready to stone me.”
The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of Israel’s elders with you. Take in your hand the shepherd’s rod that you used to strike the Nile River, and go. I’ll be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Hit the rock. Water will come out of it, and the people will be able to drink.” Moses did so while Israel’s elders watched. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites argued with and tested the Lord, asking, “Is the Lord really with us or not?”
Exodus 17:1-7
Think
The people are wandering in the desert, following Moses’s lead. It’s dry and dusty, and they are hot and tired. Mostly, they are thirsty. There’s no water. They’ve set up camp, and there’s simply no water to be found. It feels like a desperate situation. They have lots of feelings about it – they are scared, angry, confused, frustrated, and more. They complain. They ask questions. They cast blame. They want to know if God is even there.
Whenever things feel bleak and desperate, we may ask the same question they asked in the desert: “Is the Lord really with us or not?” When there is war and conflict, when tragedies happen that we don’t understand, we wonder where God is. This story from Exodus is a good reminder that God is right there, even when it doesn’t feel like it. It’s ok to ask hard questions, have doubts, and feel a wide range of emotions. God hears our cries and our questions. God doesn’t abandon us in our fear, uncertainty, or anger.
Laura Edgar
Question to Ponder:
What makes you ask where God is?
Pray
God, so much is happening in our world that we don’t understand. We bring our questions, fears, anger, and uncertainty to you. Remind us that you are there, even when it doesn’t feel like it. Amen.
Go
God is our salvation and hope. Our work is to bring God’s kingdom of peace by the power of love in our thoughts, words, and actions.
