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TRUST JESUS TODAY

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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Like a Fish Out of Water (10/24/13)
The Land of Bread and Water


Have you ever seen a fish out of water? It’s a sorry sight: it flips up and falls on its side, trying to swim on the hard ground. Its mouth gasps helplessly for water.

The saying ‘a fish out of water’ means when someone is in a completely different place, and they can’t do what they usually do easily. Sometimes God uses situations like this to get our attention! Here is one story from the Bible when that happened.

In the Old Testament story of the Israelites, God delivered his people from being treated unfairly in Egypt. God parted the Red Sea, and Moses lead the people to safety. God had promised them a land flowing with milk and honey, but took them on a very long journey through the desert to get there. And in the desert they felt like fish out of water. They had to trust God to provide for everything – even bread and water.


Just Imagine it.

In the middle of the crowd, a little girl held her Daddy’s hand. All her family surrounded her, and she could see her best friend, and all her family. Everyone was walking together, carrying something precious. The little girl could only see the legs of those in front, and she struggled to keep up.

The sun was high overhead, and the heat made people grumpy. They had been walking for three whole days and nobody had remembered to bring water. The little girl’s mouth was dry, and she felt dizzy and sick. All she could think of was drinking water.

Just as the little girl was picked up to be carried, they came to a stream. Moses held up his staff and the people stopped. He scooped up some water in his hand and tasted it. Everybody held their breaths.

“Eurgggh!” Moses spat out the water in disgust. “It’s too bitter.”

“Moses, are we to die of thirst out here in the desert? We had all the water we wanted in Egypt!” said Uncle Tom.

“Did you plan this at all, Moses?” said another.

Moses was a wise man. He didn’t answer them straight away. Instead, he went and prayed to God. And God said “throw that bit of wood in the water.” Moses did, and the water turned sweet, sweet enough to drink!

Everybody drank all they could, and they were happy again.

God said “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes…I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for am I the Lord, who heals you.” (Ex 15 v26)

God promised the Israelites good health, if they listen to his voice carefully. But did they listen? Did they trust God to provide next time?


Not Enough Food

It was half way through the second month of their desert journey, when the rumbling and grumbling began again. The groaning of empty tummies was loud and getting worse each day. Everyone was ravenously hungry and really unhappy. They complained again to Moses.

“We sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted (in Egypt), but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” (Ex 16 v 3 NIV )

God heard their complaints and sent bread from heaven in the morning for the people to gather and eat in the day.

Moses said to the people: “(The Lord) has heard you grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.” ( Ex 16 v 8)


The problem was the Israelites were trusting in Moses to provide for them instead of trusting in God. They had seen many miracles that God had done for them: parting the red sea and turning the bitter water sweet. Yet they still did not go to God first with their problems.

Think!
* Are there times when you feel “like a fish out of water?” What do you think God wants you to learn during those times?
* Do you ever grumble at your parents or teachers when you don’t get what you need? Who could you turn to instead?
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Member Comments
Member
Date
C D Swanson 
11/01/13
Good job with this multi-layered piece. Nicely written and a prolific message at the end.

God bless~
Sheldon Bass 
11/02/13
Good message here. I think it might make it a touch more exciting, if you just opened with the story, rather than explaining. This would make a good Sunday School lesson. Hope to see a lot more of you here in the challenge. Good work.
Amelia Brown 
11/04/13
What a lesson. Thank you for reminding us to put our trust in God when we are taken out of our comfort zone. You presented some though-provoking questions at the end; very nicely done.