Water from a Rock

My father-in-law is the type of guy who can pretty much fix anything. If he can’t fix it, it’s either because he doesn’t have the right tools (which is rare), or it can’t be fixed. I remember the time my truck’s power window quit working. We drove it to Illinois for an in-law visit, and before I had all our bags in the house, my father-in-law already had the door halfway torn-apart. I said, “Dave, I didn’t know you knew how to fix a Dodge.” “Well, I’ve never worked on one of these before, but trust me, we’ll get it fixed,” he replied. I stood in awe as he reduced my truck’s door to the bare skeleton and quickly diagnosed the problem. The next day he went to a junkyard, bought a new motor, and had it installed and working before lunchtime. I became a believer that day: my father-in-law is a true “do it yourself” guy.

Since then the do it yourself bug has bit me also. I get great satisfaction out of changing my own brakes, building a coffee table, or rewiring a thermostat. When buying a ceiling fan at Home Depot, I walk out of the store with confidence, knowing I will be able to install it myself. This spring, when we had a work day at the church, it felt good to tell the guys I had all the power tools we would need to repair church steps and mend the parsonage deck. Why hire a painting service when, in a weekend, we can paint the kitchen ourselves?

The do it yourself thing is popular all over the place these days. There’s even a do it yourself television network (D.Y.I) where one can watch home improvement shows all day long. Not only does doing it yourself save money, but it appeals to something deeper in us. I think we like the feeling of doing it ourselves. After all, the saying goes, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.”

We run into problems, however, when we apply the do it yourself attitude to our faith. Trying to live as Christians in our own strength is a recipe for disaster. I’ve worked with too many folks dealing with addictions of various types to believe in D.I.Y. Christianity. I’ve heard too many people say, “I can beat my alcohol problem if I put my mind to it” or “I’ll get where I need to be spiritually, all I have to do is work hard enough,” only to see them fall, sometimes with disastrous consequences.

The people in today’s passage have a do it yourself problem. They came to a place with no water, and again they complained to Moses. They have forgotten God’s faithfulness, again. They even forgot the manna and the quail. Instead of trusting in the Lord, they took matters into their own hands. They approached Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” (v. 3, NRSV).

Again, God’s response is classic. He didn’t direct them to an oasis, have them dig a well, or guide them to a river. God directs Moses to take his staff, the same one he used to strike the Nile and turn it to blood, and strike a particular desert rock. The same power of God that took away the Egyptians’ water would now provide water for the Israelites. God gives what they need to survive in such a way that no one can deny the water--and their life--came from Him alone. God’s provision for their lives was not a do it yourself project. God knew their need and was ready and able to provide, if the people would only trust Him.

The same is true in our lives. How many times do we face a crisis or temptation and try to handle it ourselves? It turns out God is ready, willing, and able to provide for us, if we will only trust Him. What that means is we will have to swallow our pride, put down our power tools, and let God do His thing in our lives. That is hard; we like to do it ourselves. Today’s passage calls us to remember that while doing it yourself might be nice when you’re remodeling the kitchen, changing a tire, or creating a scrapbook, it simply doesn’t work in spiritual things.

Can we come to the place this morning where we are able to let go of our need to control things and fix the problems ourselves? Can we then trust God for the miracles He wants to work among us? It could be that He is waiting to provide a solution for you that leaves no doubt He did it. Just as He brought water from the rock, your answer might come from a totally unexpected direction if you will only trust Him and let go.