This morning as I sat quietly in prayer thanking God for this new day with Him, I realized and relished anew that each day is a day that will extend into eternity with God. We will be with Him forever. This present physical life is not all there is. Once we begin to grasp that we experience a difference in our whole outlook. Yes there are trials and many severe but we do not face them alone and this life is not all there is.

Right after that affirmation, I began reading Numbers 20. The people are right back where they were 37 years before when they believed the doubting spies and didn’t believe God. And the result? They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!” Reading also in Jesus Calling, the account of the peoples’ ancestor Jacob who also was in the wilderness escaping his brother Esau; after his dream with God, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” Genesis 28:16. Were the people aware generations later? No. Are we aware? We can be.

We come to the important account of events. Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. The Lord said to Moses, “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 they and their livestock can drink.” v. 6-8. God didn’t sound angry to me. Speak to that rock and it will pour out its water for the people and animals. 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. v. 9-11.

Listen, you rebels…must WE bring you water out of this rock? Moses and Aaron of their own could never make water pour out of a rock to give water to the number of people and animals present. Only God could. Only God did. I think it’s not a stretch to say that Moses had reached the end of HIS rope but not God’s. I can well imagine he was feeling angry and self righteous, as can we all, right up to the point that God spoke to him. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” v. 12. God didn’t accuse them of being rebels. They didn’t honor God as holy…can we allow that to seep into our hearts fully? They, too, would not enter the Promised Land. God doesn’t play favorites. Moses had more to do yet before the people entered into the Promised Land, but I love what God did for Aaron. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Aaron will be gathered to his people.” v. 24. I could well imagine Aaron and Moses knew Aaron could be in no better hands than Gods. Per God’s instructions, Moses, Aaron and his son Eleazar went up to Mount Hor where Aaron’s priestly garments were put on Eleazar and Aaron died safe in God’s care. Yet, he will live with God for eternity, only this physical life of his ended.

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” (Isaiah 64:4) – the things God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9. These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 1 Corinthians 2:10.

Do we trust in God enough to honor Him as Holy? What a difference it makes when we do. Take His hand. He’ll show you the Way, the Truth and the Life of His wonderful eternal love for you. For you. Thank you Lord for your abundant life giving love. Your love makes all the difference.