Numbers 20

When the Rock is still enough

Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. ~ Numbers 20:11

What do you do when frustration rises because the same problem keeps showing up again? I know I need to be reminded often that faith in God’s provision is not a one time event, but a daily way of living. I have sometimes thought how wonderful it would be if I could ask God for His provision once and never have to worry again about not having what I need. But the truth is that every need becomes an invitation to grow in closer connection with my Heavenly Father. As I bring my requests to Him, I press into His goodness and His desire to supply what is missing in my life. Ideally, I am already walking closely with Him, step by step, seeking His direction and provision in every area not just when I am in trouble.

In today’s scripture reading, God’s people find themselves once again in a familiar place of scarcity, pressure, grief, and impatience. The Israelites were without water again, and Moses once more stood before God to intercede on their behalf. This chapter reminds us that obedience matters, emotions are real, and God’s faithful love and provision still appear even when people struggle to respond in the right way.

Below are three truths to take away from today’s Dose:

1. Unmet expectations can test obedience.

Moses was instructed to speak to the rock, but instead he struck it in anger. God still provided water, despite Moses disobedience to God’s instructions.

When stress builds at work, at home, or in ministry, pause before reacting. Check in with the Holy Spirit and choose to follow His instructions over impulse and impatience, especially when the situation feels repetitive or exhausting.

2. Leadership pressure can quietly wear down the heart.

Moses carried years of responsibility, complaints, and personal loss. His moment of frustration came from the accumulated weight of leading God’s people.

If you are leading, serving, or caring for others, make space to bring your weariness honestly to God. Seek renewal through prayer, rest, and trusted community instead of pushing through on empty. You cannot pour effectively into others from a depleted spirit.

3. God’s provision is not canceled by human weakness.

Even after Moses’ disobedience and frustration, water still flowed for the people. God remained faithful to meet the need.

When you fall short or mishandle a moment, return to God quickly rather than withdrawing in shame. Tell Him where you missed it, not because He doesn’t know, but so your regret can be replaced with His forgiveness and goodness. Trust that His grace continues to supply what is needed while He shapes your heart.

A few years ago, I finally realized that when familiar challenges keep resurfacing and I feel like I am stuck in a cycle where the same problem keeps happening again and again is because I have not yet passed this test.  I remember coming to a point in time when I was so frustrated that I finally cried out to God saying: “Why does this keep happening to me over and over again?”  I didn’t hear a voice coming from heaven telling me what was going on, but I did sense the Holy Spirit gently shifting my heart to see that I was responding to the problem in my own frustrated way instead of taking it to Him and getting the solution and direction to leave that issue in the past. In my desperation to get rid of the situation that was plaguing me time and again, He reminded me that He was still my source, even when I felt depleted. In my desperation to escape what felt like an endless loop, God reminded me that He was still my source, even when I felt empty. In that moment, His grace met me, corrected me, and provided both strength, wisdom and provision. It was a valuable lesson that taught me to seek His direction rather than reacting the way I always had before.

Today I want to encourage you to trust God when pressure builds and patience feels strained. Let this passage remind you that God remains the faithful Rock, providing what is needed even as He invites His people to grow in obedience and dependence on Him. Let His grace steady you, His instruction guide you, and His provision reassure you that He is at work in every area of your life, all the time.

Today’s scripture reading: Numbers 20

1 Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there.

2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 

3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! 

4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 

5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” 

6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 

8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 

9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him.

10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 

11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

13 This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them.

Passage Through Edom Refused

14 Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. “Thus says your brother Israel: ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us, 

15 how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. 

16 When we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. 

17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King’s Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.’ ”

18 Then Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.”

19 So the children of Israel said to him, “We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.”

20 Then he said, “You shall not pass through.” So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. 

21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.

22 Now the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. 

23 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: 

24 “Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah. 

25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor; 

26 and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; for Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there.” 

27 So Moses did just as the Lord commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 

28 Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 

29 Now when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days.

  
Journal:

• Where am I feeling repeated frustration right now?
• How do I usually respond under pressure?
• What would obedience look like in my current circumstances?
• Where do I need to receive God’s grace after a difficult moment?