The Jews left the Desert of Sin and camped at Rephidim. There was no water here, so they blamed Moses. He asked them why they were blaming him and testing God. The people blamed him for bringing them and their livestock here to die. Moses turned to God in prayer and God was faithful to answer his prayers. God told Moses to take some elders ahead and strike the rock at Horeb with his staff. Water came out of the rock for them to drink and he named the place, Massah (temptation) and Meribah (bitter water) because they had quarreled and tested God.

People like to blame others when they do not like the way things are with them. When things do not work in the way we want we blame others instead of finding solutions to the problem. Recently I heard on the radio that we spend five months of a year complaining. Is this what we also do in the church among ourselves? But we do not have to quarrel with them back. We can turn to God in prayer as Moses did. God is faithful to hear and answer our prayers. We are to wait upon Him and trust in Him. We are to do what He calls us to do just as Moses did what God told him to do, so those who blame us can be blessed by the Lord.

From internal opposition, Moses now faced external opposition as the Amalekites attacked them in Rephidim in verses 8-16. Moses told Joshua to take some men to fight with the Amalekites. Tomorrow he will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in his hands. Moses knew the staff in his hands was how God will enable them to win the battle as He did to provide water from the rock for them to drink.

Moses took Aaron and Hur with him up the mountain to pray for God to help them. The holding up of hands represented praying to God. Every time his hands grew tired and came down, the Amalekites were winning but when they were up Joshua was winning. Moses took a stone and sat down with Aaron and Hur to hold up his hands until Joshua defeated the Amalekites.

There is a physical aspect to the journey of faith and a spiritual side to it. Both are just as important. It is not just the job of the spiritual leader to pray but those around him are to pray as well. We tend to focus only on doing more than praying in the church. We failed to see that battles are won both on the physical and spiritual fronts. Spiritual efforts are as important as physical faithfulness in serving God. The servants of God must be faithful in doing as well as be earnest in prayers.

Pastors today are not only focusing on the doing using programs more than prayers. They also have become professional pastors instead of humble servants of God to serve God’s people.

My Prayer: “Lord, help me to serve You humbly ! ”