Thought for Friday 30 April

Thought for Friday 30 April From Jenny Rankin, Wrangholm   Numbers 20: 8 ‘Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so that they and their livestock can drink.’ As I was standing in line yesterday, waiting my ‘turn’ for my second vaccine jab, I thought about the lengthy queue in front of me (and behind). Everyone was trusting that this vaccine would be the turning point in the long challenging time we have lived through. Of course, there were those who could only grumble about the time we were having to wait, the timetable was running late by 20 minutes, so some were getting angry while others were simply happy because it meant they would be closer to seeing their families again, after more than a year. It made me think about how much trust we put in God. Do we trust Him as much as we trust the vaccine? Not everyone realises that we would not have a vaccine if God had not led the researchers to their conclusions? God is in charge of everything, but we have got to listen closely for His voice as He tries to direct us to where we should be. Moses asked God for help when the people started complaining again about having no water. God told him to speak to the rock and water would pour out. But Moses struck the rock twice as he spoke to it. Had he not listened to God properly, was he thinking about the last time he had asked God for water? In Exodus 17: 6 God told Moses to strike the rock and water would come out, but this time God only told him to speak. It seems that Moses wasn’t really listening to the answer God gave, he seemed to have his mind on what he thought God would say. He did not appear to be giving  God the chance to answer for Himself. Because of this Moses and Aaron were not  allowed to enter the Promised Land. Is this what we are like? Do we ask God for something then not listen to His answer? It could be that God is telling us, ‘not just now’ or He could be saying ‘I have something better lined up for you’. He could even be saying ‘that is totally wrong for you’. We must trust Him. God loves us beyond anything we can imagine and has only our wellbeing in His mind. He will never do anything that is not in our best interest. Prayer Loving Father, help us to listen closely for your voice as you speak to us. Too often we allow Your voice to be drowned out by the worldly noises around us. We forget that your voice is what matters most if we want to follow the way of your son Jesus. Amen