"Is God With Us?" - Exodus 17:1-7 - September 26, 1999

If you happen to pass by Grand Lake St. Mary’s this winter you are likely to see a sailboat frozen in the lake. The drought this summer has been so severe, the lake is down almost two feet. Boat owners are having difficulty removing their boats. Many have been hitting stumps and sandbars. If I don’t pull our boat soon, it may in fact have to stay there until we get some appreciable rain.

Why did North Carolina have to get all the rain? Some places got as much as two feet and we have had less than ¼ of an inch in the last month. For farmers in Southern Ohio it is critical. Many of their crops are just about a total loss. Why doesn’t God make it rain? Is God with us or not?

This is exactly the question that the Israelites raised with Moses. They were thirsty. They too needed water. And because things weren’t working out the way they wanted they complained. They found themselves in a hostile and frightening environment. Perhaps leaving Egypt wasn’t such a good idea. Was all the suffering and tribulations worth a new life in the promised land?

The issue here just isn’t the fact that they had no water. They were hopeless and desperate. They no longer trusted God to help them. Perhaps we no longer trust God because of our current water shortage. When we don’t get what we want does that mean that God has deserted us?

On the evening news they were reporting about the evacuation from the East Coast early last week. One woman was irate since she had to spend over 8 hours on the interstate. She said, "I would have been better off if I had stayed at home." Perhaps that is true for her but it was not true four thousands of others who lost their homes because of the heavy flooding.

Truth of the matter is we don’t like to be inconvenienced. We are used to things being normal. We like our routines. We like our stuff. We don’t want to be in a position where we are without. So it is natural for us to think that God is not with us, especially when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances.

When the Israelites complained to Moses he in turn complained to God. "What shall I do? These people are ready to stone me." He too felt helpless about their plight. He had brought them this far but now they found themselves without any water to drink.

At this point we have to give Moses a little credit. "He cried out to the Lord" for help. Moses recognized he was vulnerable. The problem was larger than he was. He was also afraid and had to depend on God for help.

Now at this point you are probably saying to yourself, yes, but I always ask God for help when I find myself in a dilemma. But, God doesn’t always help. Perhaps God does help but the answer you receive is not what you had hoped for. Since we are so accustomed to living a life of instant gratification we expect immediate results.

Notice that in this story the results are not immediate. God could have easily made it rain from the heavens, but God didn’t. Instead, God sends Moses on a mission. Moses is asked by God to respond by being a participant in solving the problem and acting in faith. Moses is told to go ahead of the people and take his staff with him. He is also told to take some of the elders with him. In other words, he (1) must take some action, (2) enlist some help and (3) wait for God.

This is what it means to be faithful. This is a perfect example of commitment. God wants us to be dependent. God also wants us to be participants in the problems we experience. God wants us to bring others into the process and God wants us to wait for God’s intervening power.

Unfortunately, we like to take a different road than the one Moses took. We want God to act, but with little effort on our part. Every day challenges us with new problems and opportunities. We hesitate or refrain from doing anything because we are afraid of failing. To avoid failing we do nothing, or, like the Israelites, we spend our energy whining and complaining.

In the last two decades farmers have been spending thousands of dollars irrigating their fields and installing drainage systems. This prevents their crops from being flooded and gives them water during periods of no rain. Our lives could use a few drainage systems too. We have a tendency to flood ourselves with activities and things to do. Seldom do we schedule time for personal reflection. We whine and complain about being overbooked, but who takes time to rest or read or take time for personal reflection?

We are also very independent. Rather than ask for help we do things ourselves. We don’t like to depend on others. We don’t want to adjust our time schedule to accommodate someone that could help. Besides, those that offer to help us might do things differently.

Recently there was a story in the news about a family who was lost at sea. They were sailing on their 42 foot sailboat from New York to Florida. They had no experience and their boat was in need of repairs. They tried to do everything themselves. The Coast Guard began a search for them off the East Coast. This was one week before hurricane Floyd. When they found them the family said they didn’t want help. Although their rudder was inoperable and the engine had failed they were determined to make the trip without help. But, they kept drifting out to sea. Fortunately they finally relented and the Coast Guard towed them to shore.

When the family finally returned they contacted their relatives here in Ohio. They were furious that they made no effort to call. Not to mention the fact that the Coast Guard spend 5 days and thousands of dollars searching for the lost vessel. There is nothing wrong with being self-sufficient. But at some point we have to ask for help and cooperate for the good of society.

We are also impatient. We don’t like to wait. We have not had a good rainfall in over 6 weeks. It is extremely dry. The lakes and ponds are down. The other day I was in Dayton and noticed that the Miami River is almost dry. Many are complaining about the lack of rain.

On the Discovery channel they have been running episodes about "The wrath of mother nature." Included in that series was the story of the 1913 flood in Dayton, Ohio. The entire city was under about 15 feet of water. Many of the towns in the Miami Valley suffered from flood damage, Sidney, notwithstanding. That catastrophic event prompted Ohioans to build dams and levies along the Miami River. It took many years to complete. Since then, there have been no major problems. Someday it will rain again. We have no choice but to be patient.

The wilderness experience taught the Israelites that they needed to depend on God. Through Moses it taught them that they needed to be participants in their plight. Also, it required teamwork and cooperation. Most importantly, it taught them to wait.

The good news is that God responded. God gave them manna to eat. God gave them water to drink. God also responds to us when we need help. And like Moses, God wants us to be committed and faithful. We cannot control the weather. We can, however assist our neighbors, and work together for the good of all humanity. We can also trust that God is listening and gives us "living water" to drink.