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In Exodus 17:3-7 (well, really in a lot of Exodus), the Israelites were not happy campers (literally). And they were bold people. They had no issue complaining to Moses about their suffering. The reason why they were wandering the desert for 40 years was because they complained. And yet God still answered them (even though they complained to Moses and he was the one to bring that message to God).
How’s your relationship with God? How much time do you spend in prayer? If it’s not really that much, what’s holding you back? It’s not easy to set aside time to spend with God, but no one ever said that being a Christian was easy. No matter how you’re feeling, bring it to God. Whether you want to thank God, yell at God, blame God, whatever—God just wants you to come to Him honestly and sincerely. I think where the Israelites got it wrong in this reading was they didn’t trust in God. They complained, but they did it in a way where they barely wanted anything to do with God anymore.
Isn’t that what some of us do? We don’t like what the Church says we’re supposed to do, so we do things our way on our own. But Jesus leads us by His example – He tells God He doesn’t want to suffer and die on the cross, but He still goes through with it, following His Father’s will.
So, what’s stopping your prayer life from taking the next step? If you don’t think you have time, then 1) make time and 2) get creative. Have prayer time in the car when you drive. Have it during a meal time. Have it with your coffee or tea. Have it in the shower (but keep it short because California’s still somewhat in a drought). Pray while you poop (if you think that’s disgusting, tell God about it – He’s the one that made us to do it). Pray while you work out (or if you have time to work out, cut that down by 5 minutes and pray instead). Give up something that isn’t completely necessary (or give that thing less time) and replace it with prayer. If you really don’t want to give up TV, mute it during commercials and pray (for you Netflix users, pause it between shows). Waiting in line at a store? Pray while you wait (maybe the line will move quicker!).
Whatever you do, the most important thing is to make it stick. Do it every single day. No matter what.
