Trusting God in the Wilderness of Life

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting God When the Well Runs Dry

In the wilderness, it is easy to feel as though God’s promises are a mirage, especially when you have followed His leading and still find yourself at a dead end, thirsty and uncertain. The story of Israel at Rephidim reminds us that faith is often tested not in moments of abundance, but in seasons of dryness, when the memory of God’s past faithfulness is all we have to hold onto. In these moments, the question arises: “Is the Lord among us or not?” Yet, even when the landscape feels barren and our spirits weary, God’s presence is not absent. He invites us to rest, to trust that He is with us in the in-between spaces—between redemption and fulfillment—shaping us to be His people. [01:03:31]

Exodus 17:1-7 (ESV)
All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Reflection: Where in your life do you feel like you’ve reached a dead end, and how might you invite God to meet you there with His presence, even if you cannot yet see the way forward?

Day 2: The Danger of Turning Trust into Demands

There is a subtle but profound difference between trusting God and demanding that He prove Himself on our terms. When Israel tested God at Massah and Meribah, they were not simply expressing doubt, but attempting to coerce God into performing for them, to turn faith into sight. This temptation is echoed in Jesus’ own wilderness testing, where He refused to force God’s hand, choosing instead to trust without demanding proof. True faith does not manipulate God or hold Him hostage to our expectations; it surrenders control and allows God to define the relationship, trusting that He will be present and faithful in His own way and time. [01:11:00]

Matthew 4:5-7 (ESV)
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Reflection: In what area of your life are you tempted to set conditions for God—asking Him to prove Himself before you will trust—and how can you lay down that demand today?

Day 3: God’s Provision Through Creation Restored

God’s provision is not magic, but the restoration and renewal of creation itself—life emerging from what seems barren and ordinary. In the wilderness, water flowed from the rock not as a spectacle, but as a sign that God works through creation, through people, and through ordinary means to bring about extraordinary life. This creational renewal points us to God’s intent for flourishing, reminding us that His gifts often come hidden in the everyday, waiting for us to recognize and receive them. The staff that once brought death to the Nile now brings life from the rock, showing that God’s presence transforms even the most lifeless places. [01:20:21]

Psalm 104:10-13 (ESV)
You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills;
they give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
they sing among the branches.
From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

Reflection: What ordinary part of your day or environment might God be using to provide for you or to reveal His presence—if you pause to notice?

Day 4: Living as Streams of Life in the Desert

God’s invitation is not just to receive His provision, but to become participants in His renewing work—to be streams of living water in a thirsty world. Just as the oasis of En Gedi brings life to the desert, so too are we called to inhabit the world as God’s partners, bringing hope, restoration, and life wherever we are placed. This means seeing the world as God sees it: full of hidden potential, even in the midst of brokenness, and joining Him in the work of renewal. [01:25:01]

Isaiah 58:10-11 (ESV)
If you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.

Reflection: Where is God calling you to bring life, hope, or renewal to someone or someplace that feels barren or overlooked today?

Day 5: Choosing Trust Over Testing

When the well runs dry and our souls feel empty, the temptation is to demand that God prove Himself or to give up hope. Yet, God’s invitation is to genuine trust—a trust that rests in His faithfulness, even when we cannot see the outcome. This trust is not passive; it is an active laying down of our need for control, a willingness to believe that resurrection life can break forth from the most unlikely places. God stands with us in the wilderness, offering living water and inviting us to trust that He is, indeed, among us. [01:27:02]

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

Reflection: What is one specific area where you need to stop demanding proof and instead choose to trust God’s presence and provision, even if you cannot yet see the results?

Sermon Summary

This morning, we journeyed with Israel through the wilderness, finding ourselves at Rephidim where the well has run dry and the people are desperate for water. The wilderness, more than just a physical place, becomes a state of mind—a space where God’s promises can feel like a mirage and where faith is tested not by abundance, but by lack. In this in-between space, after deliverance but before fulfillment, God is shaping Israel—and us—into a people who can trust, not just in moments of plenty, but especially when the landscape feels barren.

The central question that arises is, “Is the Lord among us or not?” It’s a question that echoes through our own lives when we feel led by God but find ourselves at a dead end. Israel’s temptation is to demand proof of God’s presence, to turn trust into a transaction: “If God is really with us, then God will do what we ask.” But this is not the relationship God desires. God’s invitation is not to coerce Him into acting on our terms, but to trust Him as a faithful partner, even when His presence is not obvious and His provision comes in unexpected ways.

We see that God’s provision is not magic, but a restoration of creation. Water flows from the rock, not as a spectacle, but as a sign that God brings life out of chaos, using ordinary means to reveal extraordinary grace. The staff that once brought death to the Nile now brings life from the rock, showing that God’s creative power is always at work, even in the most desolate places. This provision is not just about survival, but about pointing us to God’s creational intent: flourishing life in a world marked by death.

The call, then, is to inhabit the world as God’s renewed creation, to see and participate in the streams of living water that God is already pouring out—through creation, through one another, and supremely through Christ, the rock who was struck so that living water might flow without end. When our souls feel dry and we are tempted to demand proof, God invites us to trust, to rest in His presence, and to become streams of life in a thirsty world.

Key Takeaways

1. Faith Is Not About Forcing God’s Hand True faith resists the urge to demand that God prove Himself on our terms. When we try to coerce God into acting as we wish, we distort trust into control and misunderstand the Creator-creature relationship. God invites us to trust Him as He is, not as we would have Him be, and to let go of the need for constant proof. [71:00]
2. God’s Provision Often Comes Through the Ordinary God’s miracles are not always spectacular interventions, but often come through the renewal of creation and the ordinary elements of life. The water from the rock is a reminder that God’s grace is hidden in the everyday, and that openness to God’s work in the ordinary is a mark of mature faith. [80:21]
3. Testing God Is an Attempt to Redefine the Relationship When we test God, we are not simply expressing doubt, but attempting to rewrite the terms of our relationship with Him. This is a subtle form of pride, placing ourselves at the center and expecting God to conform to our agenda. Instead, God calls us to a covenantal partnership where He defines the terms and we respond in trust. [73:08]
4. God’s Provision Points to His Creational Intent God’s gifts in the wilderness are not just about meeting immediate needs, but about pointing us to His larger purpose: the flourishing of life and the restoration of creation. Every act of provision is a signpost to God’s desire for covenantal relationship and abundant life, even in the midst of chaos and scarcity. [83:16]
5. We Are Invited to Be Streams of Living Water God’s work in us is not just for our own survival, but so that we might become sources of life for others. As we receive God’s provision, we are called to participate in His renewing work, becoming streams of living water in the deserts of the world—channels of grace, hope, and restoration. [88:08]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:45] - Introduction: The Wilderness Journey
[03:10] - When the Well Runs Dry
[06:00] - Between Redemption and Fulfillment
[10:30] - The Question: Is the Lord Among Us?
[13:31] - Numbness to God’s Presence
[16:54] - The Nature of God’s Tests
[18:35] - Jesus and the Temptation to Test God
[21:00] - The Danger of Demanding Proof
[23:08] - Redefining the Divine-Human Relationship
[27:21] - The Church’s Descriptive Role
[30:21] - God’s Provision Through Creation
[33:16] - Creation, Covenant, and Flourishing Life
[35:01] - En Gedi: Life in the Desert
[38:08] - Trusting God When the Landscape Is Dry
[41:10] - Communion: Bread, Cup, and Living Water
[44:44] - Announcements and Blessing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Exodus 17:1-7 (ESV) — 1 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”
3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Matthew 4:5-7 (ESV) — 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple
6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Observation Questions

What question did the Israelites ask at Rephidim, and why was it significant in their journey? ([01:03:31])
How did God instruct Moses to provide water for the people, and what was unique about the staff Moses used? ([01:21:41])
In Matthew 4, what was the nature of the devil’s temptation to Jesus, and how did Jesus respond? ([01:09:57])
According to the sermon, what is the difference between God testing Israel and Israel testing God? ([01:04:45])

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think the Israelites, after witnessing so many miracles, still questioned whether God was among them? What does this reveal about human nature and faith? ([01:05:44])
The sermon suggests that testing God is an attempt to redefine the relationship between God and people. In what ways might we try to do this in our own lives? ([01:13:08])
The water from the rock is described as a restoration of creation, not just a miracle. What does this say about how God usually provides for His people? ([01:20:21])
Jesus refused to test God in the wilderness. What does His response teach us about the kind of trust God desires from us? ([01:09:57])

Application Questions

The Israelites demanded proof of God’s presence when they were thirsty. When have you found yourself demanding proof from God, or setting conditions for your trust? What was the outcome? ([01:11:00])
The sermon warns against turning faith into a transaction—“If God is really with me, then He’ll do what I ask.” Are there areas in your life where you are tempted to relate to God this way? How can you move toward a more genuine trust? ([01:11:44])
God’s provision often comes through ordinary means, not just spectacular miracles. Can you think of a recent time when God provided for you in an “ordinary” way? How did you recognize it as God’s work? ([01:20:21])
The staff that once brought death to the Nile now brings life from the rock. Are there “ordinary” things or routines in your life that God might want to use for His creative purposes? ([01:21:41])
The sermon calls us to be “streams of living water” for others. Who in your life right now is experiencing a “dry” season, and how might you be a source of encouragement or hope to them? ([01:28:08])
When your soul feels dry, what practices or reminders help you rest in God’s presence instead of demanding proof? ([01:27:02])
The sermon describes the wilderness as both a physical place and a state of mind. Where do you feel like you are “in the wilderness” right now, and what would it look like to trust God in that space? ([01:03:31])

Sermon Clips

The temptation here is to see if God will do whatever it is that you ask. And this is the test in Exodus. The test in this case, humans testing God, is humanity's attempt to try to coerce God into proving his presence by performing on demand. By saying, God, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. It's an attempt to turn faith into sight. [01:11:11] (31 seconds) #FaithNotControl

God's response is not a magic, is not magic or a miracle from heaven, right? Once again, as we've seen throughout Exodus, it's creational renewal. God once again brings life out of chaos, revealing the hidden potential inside of creation. [01:19:09] (18 seconds) #LifeFromChaos

God works through the human partnership with Moses. God works through the staff, which is divine presence. God works through creation, which is the rock. I think we all got that one. But just like the Red Sea story, just like the plagues, just like we see with the bitter water, even with the manna coming from heaven, we see that miracles are not able to be just simply flattened down to God's actions or natural actions, right? The whole creative order is working together. The story is ripe with ordinary elements containing extraordinary potential. [01:20:09] (38 seconds) #ExtraordinaryInOrdinary

This text is meant to remind us that God has invited us to both see the world and to inhabit the world as God originally created it, full of life, full of wonder, full of the outpouring presence of the divine that has then been fractured and shattered, but that God says even in the midst of this, there can still be life. [01:23:54] (28 seconds) #LifeInFracturedCreation

It stands as a stark reminder that even in the middle of a barren place, creation itself is testifying. God is at work for life in the desert. God is at work for life in the rocks. No wonder Jesus tells his disciples that the rocks themselves will cry out if we are silent. And that's what God shows Israel here. That divine provision isn't magic. It's creation restored and renewed. It's life hidden in the ordinary things, waiting for the resurrection life to break forth. [01:25:21] (41 seconds) #CreationTestifiesLife

When the well runs dry, when we feel like we've come to the end of our rope, I think our temptation is to demand proof. God, you've brought me this far, but how can I know that you'll take me one more step further? So go ahead and just do for me what I ask of you this one time, and I promise next time it'll be different. But God's response back to us is an invitation to trust. [01:26:04] (26 seconds) #InvitationToTrust

This is not just a call to have more faith, but a call to have genuine trust that God will be a faithful partner. It's a call to trust that God is with us even in the wilderness, wherever and however God will choose to be there. It's a call to trust that divine provision is not absent, but is already flowing into our lives, often in ordinary ways that we overlook, but that are teeming with resurrection life. [01:26:30] (31 seconds) #TrustInWildernessProvision

You're reminded this morning that the rock that seemed lifeless split open with water, and the God who stood there stands with us today. So when your soul feels dry, when the landscape feels barren, and when you find yourself asking, is the Lord among us? Again, here with us or on my side? Is the Lord on my side or not? Remember the answer. Yes. God is with us. [01:27:02] (31 seconds) #GodWithUsAlways

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