Man, Moses had some pretty cool experiences and was a part of some of God’s most famous interactions with people. But there is one story that I feel we often overlook. One that I feel shows the power of God in a way that we must never forget.
So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. (Numbers 20:9-11 NIV)
Water from a rock. How cool is that? Sure, manna gave them sustenance. But you can live longer without food than you can without water, right? Come on. Water.From.A.Rock.
Most people wonder why God does not perform miracles like that anymore. Why doesn’t He wow us with His power? Why doesn’t He make it obvious to us that nothing is impossible? Why doesn’t He produce something from nothing like He did so often for Moses?
In my opinion, He still does those things every day. The difference between now and then lies in the fact that we view the world differently. We feel powerful, entitled, and far too intelligent to rely on miracles. We want to be in control, and we can manipulate any situation to make ourselves feel like we are.
Let me tell you, God still brings water from rocks all the time. You and I are living proof. If anything good can come out of any of us, that is a miracle. We were born as slaves to sin and destined for failure in all things. But God chooses to use us for His glory. Sure, we get in His way more often than we’d like to admit. But that does even more to prove this point. If we are so flawed and incapable of producing good fruit, then anything Godly that comes from our existence must be a miracle.
Each day, He is putting His power on display through our weakness. By using us in His plan, He is constantly proving that nothing is impossible. In producing good works through our meager efforts, He creates something from nothing every single day. Water from rocks.
If you want to see a miracle, just open your eyes. His power and glory are all around us. We are usually just too selfish to see it.