In Exodus 17 the Israelites were on walkabout in the wilderness and their GPS (God’s positioning system) kept sending them in circles, without benefit of winnebago or Buccees. They were grousing, expecting Moses, the leader of their little caravan to scare up some BBQ and sweet tea. Moses was frustrated with the whole mess and before you know it, he finds himself between a rock and a hard place. God tells him to strike that rock with his staff and lo and behold, water flowed.

Moses obeyed, God sent water. It wasn’t BBQ and sweet tea but it kept them alive. They couldn’t fill their shopping carts and pantries so they had to continue to trust that God would provide what they needed.

Maybe the larger lesson is that God is present whether we have full pantries or just a few cans of soup, whether we are sick, whether we are healthy.

God isn’t the means to what we need. He IS what we need. Until we figure that out, we will continue to wander – thirsty and muddled.