When God rescued the Israelites from Egypt in the Book of Exodus, it started with a series of miracles. God displayed His power when Moses's shepherd rod transformed into a snake. Pharaoh's magicians did the same with their sticks but then Moses's rod swallowed theirs. The Lord continued to show His might when the plagues arrived and eventually He parted the Red Sea so His people could walk to safety. Alas, their pursuers were captured in a watery grave.
God did these things so that everyone would hear of these feats and know that He is the one, true God. This was the actual effect because even 40 years later, people were scared of the Israelites and their God. Rahab testified to this when she said to the spies that her people had heard how their God brought them out of Egypt with wonders. Joshua 2:11 - When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
How is it then, that the Israelites whom God freed from slavery with signs and wonders could doubt His capacity when times got tough in the wilderness? We previously considered this issue and learned that the generation that left Egypt was more familiar with the false gods of that land than the Almighty. They, therefore, lacked a depth of experience with God and His capacity to save. That inexperience, combined with fear, caused them to doubt the Lord.
Yet, there is another lesson to learn from that period of the Israelites' time in the wilderness. Specifically, when we consider that they were faced with a lack of water not once but at least twice. First, it was at Marah with its bitter waters, then soon after at Rephidim, where there was no water to drink. Have you ever wondered why they had to go through such repeated challenges?
God put them through a repeated test for a reason. It was to teach them to trust in Him. They needed to realize that since He had solved their water problem at Marah, He would surely solve the problem at Rephidim. Unfortunately, on both occasions, the people reacted with little confidence in God's ability to provide. Nevertheless, He didn't deprive them of water, making sure to give them what they needed.
Have you witnessed a pattern in the challenges you experience? Could it be because the Lord wants you to relax and rest in the knowledge that if He took care of the problem before, He will do so again? This is a lesson we all have to learn - that when a challenge repeats itself, it could be because God is giving us another chance to pass the test.
I had an unavoidable bill that became too expensive. I prayed to the Lord for help and He assured me He'd take care of it. Still, each month I'd stress about the bill and because God is faithful, the bill would always get paid.
One month, having reached the end of my rope and knowing that I couldn't keep worrying, I just stopped. Reminding myself that my God would prove Himself, I reviewed prior miracles I'd experienced tied to that bill and other issues. It took four months to get to that point but guess what? Once again, He did it and the bill was miraculously paid without effort on my part.
He didn't just stop there, however, He made it so I didn't have to worry about the bill again because once I started trusting, He provided additional funds via increased clients and other opportunities. In the end, what had seemed like a wilderness suddenly transformed into a place of green pastures (Psalm 23:2). All through relying solely on God.
Getting to the point of complete trust wasn't easy and I had to war with the enemy. The devil wanted me to lose my composure and squander the victory that was already mine. The Lord would repeatedly remind me of Jairus and how despite all physical evidence to the contrary, he didn't buckle under the pressure of doubt. He instead walked with Jesus to the victory that was his from the moment he'd asked the Savior for help.
God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). As long as you are His child - having been reconciled through submission to Christ - you are His favorite. He's not a human being who is incapable of loving all His children equally. Therefore, as He did it for me, He can and will do it for you. Even exceedingly and abundantly more than you could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Never forget, that pattern of trouble might not be because the Lord is punishing you. It could simply be Him allowing you to repeat a test so you get it right. And you need to get it right to step out of the dry places. Know that He is right there with you and has set everything up for you to succeed. In such a case, praying that affliction should not arise again will not solve the problem. Taking Him by the hand and finally trusting Him to walk you into your victory is what will do it.
