“I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horab.” Exodus 17:6

After Moses led the people out of Egypt, they grumbled that they were so thirsty they were going to die. That grumbling increased to the point of hysteria. Moses’ own words reveal the mob mentality when He turns to God, and cries, “What shall I do with this people? A little more and they will stone me?” (Exodus 17:4)

God’s response is to tell Moses where He needs to go to see God Himself standing before Him. Where God is is where the solution lies. Moses strikes the rock God is standing on, water springs forth, and the people’s need is met.

There couldn’t be a more appropriate time for this passage than now, with the COVID-19 hysteria rising by the minute.

We’re all in uncharted territory, living out the same anxieties the Israelites felt as they wandered the dessert: How will I protect my people so we stay healthy? Do I have enough food to feed my family? How do I maintain the calm I need to lead them with grace? How long will this last? Where will we end up when it’s all over? Throw in social media’s fuel for the fire of anxiety and we find ourselves bumping up against hysteria too.

That’s when we need to be Moses. By turning to God in our need, we allow Him to lead us through. He’ll prompt us where to go to find Him, be it tucked away in our room for five minutes of prayer, or in our car in the church parking lot (where I’m currently writing this), or maybe outside taking our kids for a hike, finding God in the chirp of the birds and the blue of the sky above.

Wherever it is, when we get out of our own individual Egypt of hysteria and daily rut, we’ll find Him. And when we do, He’ll show us how to provide for our people, meeting our every need during this crisis, and well beyond.

Questions for Reflection:

     * Have I looked more to social media and the news during this crisis than I have to God?

     * Where can I get away from the hysteria and rut of my life to see God before me?