“Is the Lord among us or not?”

If one is experiencing financial difficulty, winning the lottery mighty be their wish.  If you are unemployed you might wish for a new job.  If you are having health problems, you might wish for healing.  If you are having a difficult time with your children, you might wish for a better relationship.  Chances are what you and I would wish for would be relief from a present situation.

This is exactly what the Israelites wanted.  Our Old Testament reading tells us about life after the Israelites’ exile from Egypt.  The Israelites have not been the easiest bunch of people to satisfy.  Since the day they left Egypt they have done nothing but complain.  When they reached the Red Sea and saw the Egyptians in pursuit they complained.  Within a week of crossing the Red Sea they were complaining,

Within two months of their exile from Egypt, they were complaining again.

It was only a short time later that they journeyed to Rephidim and began to complain again,

They reacted to their needs complaining and wondering,

Why were they worried about God’s provisions when God had already provided them with freedom, safety, water, manna, and quail?  What made them think God had changed His mind and that He would neglect them now?  We find the answer to the questions when we can answer this question.  What makes us think God has changed His mind?  Why do we worry about God’s provisions?  Why is it when we are in need we forget all the times God has already provided for us?

We all have needs.  We all need something, we need to feel appreciated, we need to be loved, we need to be valued, I could go on and on. After a hard day at work have you ever come home and said, “I need a hug.”  Or “I need a drink.”  Or I need a moment alone?  What about God?

Modern society seems to move away from the latter, a need for God.  Of course we need God when we want to get married.  We need God when we want our baby to get baptized.  Let us not forget we need God when there has been a crisis in our life or when there has been a death in the family.

Have we reduced God to the means to an end, the end being our personal happiness?  Has God become a product that is supposed to give results to our problems?

I remember watching a youth beat up on a vending machine.  He had deposited the correct amount of money.  Made his selection.  The machine began to dispense his choice, but the corner of the bag got stuck and the bag was hanging from the shelf, instead of dropping into the bottom of the machine.  He was shaking the machine.  He was tilting it.  He was rocking it back and forth in an effort to get his needs satisfied.

Have we reduced God to this?  God's only value is to provide our needs.  The truth of the matter is what you and I need more than anything, more than food, more than money, more than possession, more than…is God.

Jesus Christ is all you need.  With Jesus Christ you have the Almighty Grace of God.

I began by asking what do you need more than anything.  The answer is Jesus Christ.

I want to end by asking if you lost everything you have, what would be the most devastating loss?

The answer is the same, Jesus Christ.

Wherever you are in life.  In whatever state of mind or health you find yourself.  You need Jesus Christ more than anything.