In one church I served they decided to put a new roof on the manse.  It all went fine, except that we had a faucet in the yard, and their truck backed over it.  It was like Old Faithful! So we had to cut the water off as we waited on the plumber.  Ever try to make a meal without water?  Ever try to brush your teeth or wash your hands or change a baby....I was so glad when they cut that water back on! I will never look at water the same way.  And we don’t appreciate it until we need it!

Now, put yourself in the place of the Hebrew people in our text for this morning.  Here in the wilderness called Rephadim they had been traveling for three days with no water.  A cloud led them by day and a pillar of fire by night, as the Lord guided them.  You would think that since they were obviously following the Lord, they should at least have had water, right?  No!  

[v.1]
And this was not the first close call they'd had with provisions since the Lord led them out of Egypt.  And it was not the first time they had grumbled!
Chapter 14 - when the sea was divided
Chapter 15 - at wilderness of Shur, 3 days no water, threw tree into water and it became sweet
Chapter 16 - because there was no meat "Your grumblings are not against us but against the Lord"  Manna provided
Chapter 17 - There was no water at Rephadim, revolt, about to stone Moses-struck rock with staff  Named it Massah, "test" and Meribah "quarrel"   People said, "Is the Lord among us or not?"
Again in Numbers 20

The Arabs can still show you a place called Petra, which is a spring, and the site where this happened. 

I don't know if you can appreciate how angry the people are at this point.  They were, according to Moses, about to stone God's leader, Moses.  They were so thirsty!

They were following God and everything was going wrong.  And where was God when the tough times came!
 
Before we criticize them too harshly, perhaps we should think about our own lives.  Who is there who has had a smooth road every minute of every day of every year while following the Lord?  I think that if we are honest, we will all admit that there have come times in our lives when we have felt just like these ancient Hebrews.  We want to know:  Where is God now that things are all going wrong?  If God really cares, why is everything such a mess?  Maybe you there now, or maybe you have come through it recently.  We are following the Lord and we are at a hard place.  We are weary from the journey.  Something has gone wrong. Spiritually speaking, the water has run out, and we think we are going to die of thirst....
-Your job is gone
-Your spouse has decided to call it quits
-You raised your child as best you can, and they have just told you they hate you, and they mean it, or they have left.
-You just know you have heard from the Lord and no one at the church agrees with you.
-You trust someone and you end up being abused
-You just got the test back and it really is malignant
-You read the papers and see the condition in our schools and in our families and in our nation and you say, What good is living the Christian life?  Has God brought me here to die?  Is this all some kind of cruel hoax?  How can I remain faithful?

Please notice that God was not angry with them because they were thirsty.  God simply wanted them to ask Him for help.   How do we avoid falling into bitterness and contention when we go through tough times?  In the time we have remaining I would like to share with you five principles for the wilderness, five prayers to pray when we are tempted to ask whether or not God is really there, or we could say, five prayers for when our faith becomes dry.

1.  Thank you, God for your provision in the past.  It is amazing to me how quickly these people forgot the lessons of the faithful God, manna in the wilderness, the parting of the Red Sea, the making sweet water from poison.  If they had only looked up and said, "Lord, we know it's hard.   But we know You've always been faithful, even when it looked impossible.  Give us the faith to get through this," God would have answered abundantly, as indeed He did.  But what a difference in their lives.  It would have spared a few ulcers!  When we recount what God has done in our lives it helps dispel fear in the wilderness.

2.  Lord, I recognize that You are all-wise.  Part of the problem, if you can believe it, was that they were doubting the leading of God, even though they saw it miraculously, right before their eyes.  It did look as if God had led them to a place of death.  They didn't understand it, and never would in their lifetime.  There are certain times when God simply calls us to trust.  Period.  And those can be the most difficult times of our walk with God.  That is called faith.  But I have found that God never disappoints those who will wait on the Lord in absolute trust.  The Bible says that they will gain new strength.  They will mount up with wings as eagles.  Perhaps you need to ask God for an extra helping of faith, trust.  God will honor that.
 
3.  God, I know that you are here with me.  Was God with them?  Of course.  But due to their circumstances they couldn't feel God.  Here is a word of warning:  Never trust your feelings when they conflict with God's word.  Jesus told us He would never leave us, never forsake us, until the end of the age.  And that is a promise you can count on.  In fact, He gave us the Holy Spirit inside of us as a guarantee.  We couldn't get away if we wanted.  How many times have we ever felt as if God left us?  What will you trust?  Your emotions, or God's promises?

4.  Lord, keep me from bitterness.  Do you see how ridiculous this was?  Following God led them to a tight spot, so they were ready to kill the leader.  And sometimes we need for God to help us clarify the real issue.  Psychologists call this transference, getting the wrong object for our anger.  And if left undealt with, it will destroy your marriage, or any relationship, and it will certainly ruin your fellowship with God, right at a time when you need it the most.  We need to ask God to help focus our energy where it can do some good, which is always heavenward.

5.  Father, at all costs, keep me faithful.  These people had a choice to make.  Would they keep following God even when it was hard?  Or would they kill Moses and walk away?  I thank God they made the right choice eventually, but it was tough.  And there will come times in your live, if they are not here now, when you will be called upon to choose which way you'll go.  You'll be in the wilderness of your school, or in your marriage, or in your church, or in your job.  And you have to choose between the easy way and the right way.  And the question I believe God puts before all of us here today is:  Who is most important to please?

Remember, Jesus Christ told the Father, at the cost of His life, "Not my will but Yours."  And I pray that we would all have that mindset.  I pray that above all else in this life, we would value being in God's will.  Do you?  And as we journey on in this life of faith, may God give us strength and provision for the journey as we learn to trust in the wilderness, even in the dry times.