Does God Need Me?

The 17th chapter of Exodus has a couple incidents in it that might make those who emphasize the sovereignty...the total self-sufficiency and omnipotence...of God come up short.

In verses one through seven, the former slaves are apparently taken by surprise that walking through the desert results in them getting thirsty, so they whine and complain and tell Moses to give them some water...as if he's keeping a tanker truck full of liquid refreshment all to himself.

Acting on orders from Yahweh, Moses stands in front of everybody and hits a rock with his staff...a rock which then pours out enough water to quench the thirst of the million or so grumblers.

Then, in verses eight through thirteen, the Israelites and the Amalekites do battle, but the Israelites only do well when Moses' hands are raised. If he gets tired and lowers his arms, the Amalekites start gaining the advantage. Eventually, Aaron and Hur stand on either side of Moses while he sits so he can rest his upstretched hands on them and the army of Israel prevails.

Now...could God have provided water without the theatrics of Moses hitting a rock? Could Yahweh have given the army of Israel a victory without Aaron and Hur holding up Moses' hands?

OF COURSE HE COULD HAVE.

Truth is...I am currently in the midst of a job transition and wondering what door the Lord might be opening for me. I am searching and praying and hoping that I'll soon get hired so I can keep buying groceries and making the mortgage payments.

With that in mind, I think you can understand how the words I wrote in my journal back on April 16, 2002 in response to Exodus 17 are particularly impactful for me today:

For some reason, God chose to do His mighty acts through Moses, rather than personally. (What kind of acts do You want to do through me, Lord?)