And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not? (Exodus 17:7 KJV)

Have you made the same mistake again after you thought you had learned the lesson? The flesh is a terrible snare for us; it never stops disappointing or embarrassing us. This was the experience of Israel, and we often continue to struggle with this same problem.

In the second year after Israel came out of Egypt, they responded poorly to a crisis in the desert. They had no water; therefore, they complained and strove with Moses until God gave them water. They called the name of that place Massah and Meribah. Massah means “proving,” and Meribah means “strife.” They strove with God and proved Him by their unbelief.

After thirty-eight years of wandering in the desert, the Israelites again came to a place with no water. This second incidence is recorded in Numbers 20:1-13. Desperate for water, they grumbled, complained, and did not believe God could provide water as He did 38 years earlier. Despite thirty-eight years of miracles in the desert, the people had not learned to trust God’s provision. 

God sometimes allows hardship in an area to make us grow to maturity (Romans 5:3-5). Sadly, we sometimes go through trouble without learning the lessons or developing the virtues the Lord intended. Like the Israelites in the desert, we walk around the same mountain year after year; we waste our years—holding on to that bitterness, continuing in a bad relationship, persisting in that sin, etc.

 May the Lord help you, too, not to waste your years repeating the same mistake over and over again. 

MEDITATE

Is it possible to go through the wilderness without learning anything?

APPLY THE WORD

Are you in a Massah and Meribah condition? What does the Lord want you to do or learn? Obey, trust and yield to avoid wasting any precious years.

PRAY

Ask the Lord to sincerely help you not to waste your life in the desert at Massah and Meribah.

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