Leading from Your Need
“Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people?” – Exodus 17:4
In the middle of a Monday morning meeting that most definitely could have been an e-mail, I open my planner to a week already overscheduled with places to be. Parent-teacher conferences this afternoon. Zoom calls at 10:00, 1:00, and 2:00. A meal delivery for a friend who had surgery.
Beside my planner, my phone is a world of its own, where all the needs of my people collide. Texts come through at rapid-fire pace, my chest tightening with each notification. My husband has to work late. Someone asks for prayer in our small group. My daughter’s teacher is concerned about her progress in reading. A kid’s ministry volunteer sends a long but heartfelt message about why they have to resign.
I let out a frustrated sigh. I don’t have the capacity to process all of this right now.
When Moses was leading the Israelites in the wilderness, we can be sure that he was stressed. Like us, he was constantly surrounded by people and they were incredibly needy. He was, in our modern-day terminology, touched-out, overstimulated, decision-fatigued, and exhausted from the mental load.
Many days, I can relate to the pressure Moses felt as he cried out to God, “What shall I do with this people?” (Exodus 17:4).
Twice in Scripture, the Israelites complained to Moses because they had no water, and in great wisdom, Moses brought the problem to God as we should with our own. The first time, He did as the Lord commanded and struck a rock for the water to flow (Exodus 17:1-7). But the second time, He did what worked before rather than what God told him to do (Numbers 20:2-11).
When we feel as if everything and everyone depends on us, it’s easy to shift into autopilot—making decisions based on human wisdom and past experience instead of relying on the Lord.
We agree to coach our son’s sports team again this year, but now we are overwhelmed with a parent’s illness.
We invest in a business opportunity because it was a success last time, but it’s not taking off like we had hoped.
We insist on a girls’ trip because it was so much fun last summer, but this year it’s causing tension in the group.
God has a better way. He knows exactly what will work this time.
When we are tempted to rely on self-sufficiency rather than the Spirit in our attempt to do it all, we can slow down and pray—faithfully following wherever He may lead, trusting that He will be right on time, and surrendering to our need for Him in every situation.
Bring Him all the needs of your people and wait for His wisdom—even and especially when you have passed this way before. God was faithful to Moses in the wilderness, and He will be faithful to us, too.