Those who quarrel before God



Exodus 17:1~7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?" (7)



♬ Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #390 He Leadeth Me: O Blessed Thought (#444 in previous version)
 


 ‘Quarrel’ is a word that resonates close to home in the lives of people. The root meaning of this word is ‘division.’ We''re quietly criticized for going ahead by ourselves, for lagging behind and becoming a burden to others, or causing worry and concern for others even as we walk beside them. The definitions for the root word meaning ‘sin’ vary, but the common thread holding them together is the definition ‘to go astray.’ Whether it be sinning or quarreling, the more fundamental problem is that we are going astray, down the path to destruction. While sin and quarrels can never conquer God''s children, Satan uses them as a channel to deceive us.
 



1. The eyes to see everything backwards
  If we do not want to give Satan room to attack, we need to have the eyes to see problems backwards. We need to have the power to understand everything not just on our own terms, but from the perspective of others as well. When they lacked water in the wilderness, the Israelites ought not to have complained, “There is no water,” but should have asked, “Why did God lead us to a place with no water?” We need to have the covenantal eyes to see that the greatest opportunity to see God’s greatest plan for Exodus has arrived. We need to pray to open our eyes to see the incidents, events and relationships in our past backwards.




2. Eyes to see clearly and far
 Moses began to cry out to the Lord in the face of problems, and the Lord God answered. The prayer we give today is a spiritual science, and if there is a problem, there is a definitive answer. That is why crises are opportunities. Because the power of the Lord was with him, one staff was sufficient for Moses. He struck the rock with faith and the water of life flowed from it. The way for us to see everything correctly is to believe in the power of God, obey and begin to pray. If so, we will be able to see our future within the covenant. This covenant was fulfilled for all the Israelites who were able to see their remaining journey in the wilderness, their entrance into Canaan, and the blessing of world evangelization. If we see the present clearly, we will be able to see far into the future, as well.




3. The fundamental essence of the Christian walk of faith
 The disputes that we have, both small and large, seem like problems in our eyes, but for God, nothing is a problem. Therefore, we need to entrust everything to the mighty hands of God. The fundamental essence of faith is whether we are relying upon the Lord and receiving spiritual mysteries as we pray. What is vital is whether or not we realistically possess the mystery of prayer. We must know the power of prayer, and, with God’s guidance, disputes and quarrels will instead become opportunities. Knowing and enjoying that God is our Abba Father is vital.




● Forum Topic - Observe and examine if there are any quarrels or conflicts surrounding you, and set your own prayer schedule to enjoy your very own mystery of prayer. Immanuel Church Sunday




Worship 1st Service / 2009.05.24