Wounded healers

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!”

The Lord said to Moses, “Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the
one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you.  I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai.^[a] Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.

Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?” Exodus 17:4-7 NLT

Moses wasn't immune from the abuse of slavery that affected his people. Though the Scriptures don't tell us much about his early life,, there are some hints that it wasn't a bed of roses. We know he had a speech impediment, possibly a stutter, which may have been a result of  traumatic events in his childhood.

Though he grew up in Pharaoh's palace,  he witnessed the harsh treatment of his people. He was taught to look the other way, which in itself is a form of abuse.  Children who are forced to watch one parent abuse another parent often have as much healing to do as a child who is beaten themselves.

One day Moses saw this mistreatment up close and personal, causing something in him to snap. He lashed out in anger, killing an Egyptian taskmaster who tormented an Israelite slave. In fear he fled to the wilderness, where God directed him to Jethro who took him in.

Though we don't hear much about his healing process, we know it took God 40 years to work with Moses in the wilderness before he was ready to return to Egypt. God used the process of shepherding to teach Moses  the lessons of trust and then of leadership as he kept the sheep for his father-in-law Jethro.

But Moses still had issues, even after seeing the burning bush and going back to Egypt to lead his people out of slavery. His issues weren't so much with God or his power. He had trouble with patience. The attitude of his people mirrored his own impatient spirit.

It would appear that at Rephidim, God was trying to teach the entire nation not only to trust him, but to trust the healing process. He instructed Moses to take his staff and go to the Rock where God's presence was waiting.  We are reminded that this was the same staff that God used to demonstrate his power to the elders of Israel and them to Pharaoh to prove God had sent Moses to deliver the people. First it turned into a writhing snake when he cast it down. Later he struck the Nile, signaling the beginning of the plagues against Egypt, turning the water into blood. Moses held it aloft at the Red Sea and the waters parted. It bolstered Moses' confidence to hold that staff in his hand because it was a tangible reminder to him of God's power.

The Lord told Moses to take that staff and gather the people. He was to call the elders out so they would witness God's power and Moses's authority up close, reinforcing the idea of trust once again - not only trust in God, but in their leader. It also reinforced Moses' trust in the God who led him as he led the people to wholeness.

God's presence rested on that rock at Rephidim, yet Moses was told to strike it with his staff. It was a  strong visual to Moses and the Israelites of how his impatience in the process and their continuing inability to trust  hurt the Lord, but his presence  still provided what they  needed because he cared for them.

The Lord often uses wounded healers to guide those who are suffering from similar issues. You see, the healing process isn't always about us as individuals, but about healing a "nation" of people. God continues to work in the life of the healer or leader, just as he is working in the lives of those who follow so that one day they can become the leaders, mentors or healers who trust him.

This is the trademark of our God and his power! He has the ability to work ALL things together for good and for wholeness - at the same time. We often are hurting so badly, we only see what he's doing in us. 

Take a look around you.  Where  do you see yourself in this process? And what is God doing in the lives of others as well as your own as you heal? 

Trust 101

Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.

Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.Exodus 15:27New International Version (NIV)

 

A child learns to trust its parents as its needs are met on a consistent and loving basis.  When they’re hungry, we feed them. When they’re uncomfortable because of a dirty diaper, we change them. When they need reassurance and love, we do that too, because we love them. And they learn to trust us because of that consistent care.

It’s the same with a new Christian, or a person who’s working through abuse issues. They 
need to know that God can be trusted because he loves them. The Israelites had just witnessed God’s great deliverance. He killed the Egyptians – their enemies could never again come after them and take them back to the place of brutal slavery. God already showed them that he would protect them.

Now, the wilderness provided God with a perfect incubator to show his people time and again that he would provide for them and that he loved them. In the wilderness, they would experience trust for the first time.

First lesson – water provision.

Now that their enemies were no longer a threat, their most pressing need was water. Yet, the first place they stopped to refill their water skins was Marah, where the water was so bitter they couldn’t drink it.  Instead of asking their God for help, they complained to Moses.

1. In Egypt, they had lived in Goshen, a delta area of the Nile so there would have been adequate drinking water. Here in the wilderness, water was scarce. (The need)
2. It would be difficult to find enough water to  take care of the need of such a large group of people (A problem)
3. As slaves, they probably had water withheld from them if they didn’t perform adequately. So when they faced the bitter waters of Mara, they may have feared that God was punishing them and was going to kill them. (Their perception - Slave mentality)
4. Instead of worshipping their strong God who had delivered them, and asking him for what they needed, they grumbled against Moses and God. It was a fear-based reaction (Their reactions)
5. Moses lost patience with them, but he still went to God because he knew God and trusted him. (Moses' reaction and response)
6. God showed Moses how to make the water drinkable. (God’s response to Moses)
7. Moses modeled  the trust and ask behaviors the Israelites needed to learn. God met their need at Marah in response to Moses' trust. Then God directed Moses to bring them to Elim where there were springs of fresh water and 70 palm trees for shade. (God reinforced the lesson of His provision.)

What lessons has God taught you about trust through your Christian journey? Has he ever used a person to model the behaviors he wanted to teach you?

I’d love to hear about your experiences!
Blessings,
Bonnie

Hungry and Thirsty

“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 NIV

My dear child,

You feel depressed and discouraged today because of all the struggles of life you are facing.

But I have bread for you that will encourage and strengthen you if you will accept it. After all - I would never give you a stone if you came to ask me for bread. I love you.

The bread I give you will multiply as you share it with others, bringing joy to your heart. Your heart will overflow with so much joy that you will have baskets full left over!

I am offering my life-giving water to quench your thirst. When you drink it, it will become a mighty spring welling up inside you and giving you eternal life. It will satisfy the deepest thirsting of your soul and flow out from you to others.

When you eat this bread and drink this water, you will never hunger or thirst again!

Love,
Jesus

John 6:35; John 4:13; Matthew 7:9

Father help those in our community who are hungry today. Use us to reach out and provide for them - whether it is food for their tables or food for their souls. Amen!

Thirsty

O God, You are my God. I will look for You with all my heart and strength. My soul is thirsty for You. My flesh is weak wanting You in a dry and tired land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 NLV

Every so often my medical doctor will order a "fasting blood test" where I'm not allowed to have anything to eat or drink after midnight before the test the next day.Since the lab opens early, I usually make plans to be there by 7:30 or 8 so I don't need to "suffer" too long without something to eat or drink.

Most of the time, I don't need a drink of water overnight, but inevitably, those pre-test nights are the ones where I become conscious of the dryness of my mouth. The nights where I cannot have anything to drink are the ones where I crave water the most.

Thankfully, that cause of "dry mouth" is easily corrected at the local convenience store after leaving the medical center!

But it would seem that a similar thing happens in our spiritual lives, We don't miss God's presence until we are going through those desert-dry places where we can't sense his presence with us. Those are the times we realize how much we need him and we begin to hunger and thirst after his presence.

As much as we shy away from those dry, desert places, they are necessary to help us remember just how dependent we are on the Lord to sustain us. We need his presence each day. Without him we become weak and unable to go on through difficult circumstances where we may find ourselves.

Life happens. He doesn't cause the difficulties, but he will meet us in them, giving us his Living Water to satisfy our thirst for him.

Lord, help me to be aware of my thirst for you - not only when I'm going through the desert places in my life, but always! Amen.