Parched and Scared

A Reflection on the First Reading for March 15th, 2020:
Third Sunday of Lent

Exodus 17.3-7

In the wilderness the people thirsted for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.

He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

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Reflecting on this reading, I couldn’t help but think back on how many times I looked at the state of the world and wondered why God had saved us at all — brought us out of spiritual Egypt — only to let us fall apart. The state of our world. The state of our Church. Heck, the state of the school system has me mad and frustrated.


Moses was an example for me today. When everything is a mess, how do I react? To be honest, my gut instinct is to despair, complain, and get mad. I look inside for answers and what pours out of me is unproductive. Moses reminds us that the answer doesn’t come from me and that my scheming and planning could leave me parched. But Moses didn’t look to himself for a plan, he looked to God.


The only thing God’s plan needed was for Moses to trust Him. While the parched and scared Israelites were finding fault and were tempted to give up, Moses asked God what he was to do. God promised Moses a miracle and provided that miracle in the sight of the elders of Israel.


When I’m struggling with all the very real troubles around me, then, I should be like Moses. I can hear in what Moses said to the Lord that he was scared and overwhelmed — the Israelites are about ready to kill him for leading them to their deaths. I can relate so deeply to that fear. Sometimes things get so out of hand I feel like I will never be able to get them back under control. Look no further than laundry for 9 people to know that parts of my life are even now out of control.


But Moses doesn’t just rest in that feeling. He offers it to the Lord. He casts his burden on the Lord and begs Him for a plan. And the Lord provides exactly what he needs immediately. He didn’t give Moses directions to a well or an oasis — He gives the Israelites water from a rock. When we offer up our fear, our littleness to God, He accepts us and has exactly what we need — even if it’s not the answer we were expecting — if we give ourselves over to Him in trust.


The detail of Moses striking the rock in front of the elders isn’t a throw away moment — it’s Moses standing in faith in front of the elders, knowing that if God doesn’t do what He promises, Moses will look like a fool. Not only that, they may have been tempted to hand Moses over to be stoned. Moses trusted the Lord with his life.


I need this word in my life today. I need to be reminded that it’s ok to be afraid. It’s ok to cry out to God in my hurt. It’s also essential that I stop trying to take charge and give my life, my plans, and my future over to God, trusting that He has a plan and loves me.




Stephanie Potter

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

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