Power of prayer

Exodus 17

1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.

2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord?

3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

4 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.

5 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.

6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not.

Again the people complained about their problem instead of praying. Some problems can be solved by careful thought or by rearranging our priorities. Some can be solved by discussion and good counsel. But some problems can be solved by prayer.

 We should make a determined effort to pray when we feel like complaining because complaining only raises our level of stress. Prayer neutralises our thoughts and emotions and prepares us to listen.

But let us shift our focus from the grumbling bunch of the freed slaves and focus on God the liberator. How many times did these people complain and doubted God's presence despite their divine deliverance and provision? I am reminded of Daniel's prayer, "But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.

 We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets" ( Daniel 9:9-10). Friends this is the nature of our God, and for this reason we worship Him.  Imagine how many times we rebelled against Him! But He keeps on providing for us, and loving us.

 May this spirit be cultivated in us, to love unconditionally even those who are not satisfied with the love we give them. 

Even if they keep on complaining and longing for Egypt, let us be reminded that God still loved us despite our lack of confidence in Him.

 In the same veil, may the Holy Spirit enables us to do the same to those whom we think we liberated them from a certain oppression but fails to acknowledge that. Yes unless the Holy Spirit enables us, the immortal man falls short.  

Stay blessed as you meditate upon your continuous failure versus God's continuous triumph over your and my inadequacy. Good day.-Rev Sithole

Sincere talk