The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink” — Exodus 17:5-6a, NIV.
Have you ever found yourself in an impossible situation?
Maybe you’ve felt like the Israelites as they wandered in the desert, thirsty and wondering “Where is God in all of this?”
Stuck between a rock and a dry place
In Exodus 17, God’s people are in the Desert of Sin. They’ve been wandering around since their escape from Egypt, but they haven’t had much luck on their own in the wilderness.
Without access to water, they start to question whether God has abandoned them. So they cry out to Moses for help.
God commands Moses to perform an impossible task: strike a rock and expect water to flow out.
So, with the staff Moses used to turn the Nile to blood and part the Red Sea, he takes a strike at the “impossible.”
The Israelites could hardly believe their eyes. A stream of water began to gush down the face of the boulder. God had performed another miracle for His people.
Striking at the impossible today: the global water crisis
When we think of the global water crisis, it can seem overwhelming. One in 10 people around the world needs water. Almost 90 percent of natural water resources in developing countries are contaminated, often making people sick with life-threatening diseases.
But when God looked out at His chosen people wandering in the desert, He didn’t see them as a mass or a number. He saw each individual and understood his or her personal needs.
Today, He sees the need of each child who has to get up before the sun rises to collect water for his family. He sees the mother going through the motions of washing her dishes even though she knows the water is dirty and will likely make her family sick.
God wants to show each person suffering without clean water the same kind of mercy that He showed His people thousands of years ago. And He wants to use you to do it!
Like Moses, we have to be ready to take what God has given us and use it for His glory. Moses was God’s instrument. By following His instructions, Moses was able to give the Israelites clean, clear water from an impossible source — a rock.
God has called us to a similar task. People are still physically and spiritually thirsty around our world. They crave clean water and the Living Water, which will make them never thirst again. And you can help bring both to people in need.
When you to step out in faith like Moses and use what God has given you, something miraculous happens. You help change lives.
Your turn: give clean water
By giving clean water to people in need, you aren’t simply giving physical healing, but you are giving people the opportunity to learn about the God of possibilities, devotion, and miracles.
Living Water is the most important resource a person can encounter. And almost nothing ushers in the Gospel more quickly than meeting the physical needs of people who are hurting.
Faith means very little to people who are struggling to survive. But you can support someone in his daily life — which will open the doors to changing his eternal destination. As Christians, it’s vital for us to focus on restoring both the body and the soul.
It takes only $15 to radically change someone’s circumstances with the gift of clean water for a year!
Click below to read more about how clean water provides access to the Living Water and how you can help someone today!