IS GOD AMONG YOU?

Exodus 17:7 "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?"

Is God Among You?

Have you left home before and felt like something was missing? Typically, you are only a few miles into the trip, but then you have a feeling that you forgot something. That can be a bad feeling!

Here in Exodus the children of Israel have left their old home in Egypt, but they are not sure if God is among them. They were without water in the desert, and Exodus 17:2 says, "Wherefore the people did chide with Moses. . . ." They were complaining against the authority God had placed in their lives; that is why Exodus 17:2 continues, "And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?" Were the children of Israel chiding with Moses or God? The answer is yes. They had no water, so they complained and then wondered, "Is the LORD among us, or not?" You can do without a lot of things, but God is not One you can do without.

We can see the reason they asked this. Why did they wonder if God was among them? Practically speaking, the reason was they had problems-they had no water. Does God's presence mean a lack of problems? Or (asked a different way) does the presence of problems mean a lack of God's presence? Absolutely not. In fact, sometimes when God works the most is the time when there are the most problems. The Devil has no vested interest in troubling you if you are not advancing the cause of Christ. In Acts 6, the early disciples were having problems in the church (widows were being neglected) precisely because they were preaching Christ and the number of disciples was being multiplied!

The children of Israel had every reason not to doubt the presence of God. He was the One Who led them from Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and provided manna in the wilderness. Often we think, "If I just saw God manifest Himself, if I could just see Him work a miracle, then I would. . . ." Really? You think so? The children of Israel saw great miracles, but they complained. The presence of problems does not mean a lack of God's presence.

We can also see how their question was manifest. They had a question: Was God among them, or not? But their question was manifest in complaining. Can't you almost hear the accusing tone in their chiding? Their complaining was the manifestation of what was in their hearts.

But their question is worth your consideration today. If God is not among you, then your sacrifice is a sham, and your service is empty and worthless. It is worth considering today if God's presence is with you. Moses did this in Exodus 33:15 when he said, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence." That is a good way to face your day-recognizing God's presence in your life and acknowledging your need for His presence.

If God is not with you, stop and acknowledge His presence. The presence of problems today does not mean He is not near; come to God as Moses did and go into today confident in and reliant upon God's presence.


Prayer Requests:
- Revival services tonight in Harned, KY

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