Day 68

Numbers 19-20 | John 7:1-24

Moses was frustrated.

The people were complaining. Again.

No water. No relief. No gratitude. Just more grumbling.

“If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord!” they wailed (Numbers 20:3).

And I can’t say I blame Moses for what happened next.

God told him to speak to the rock.

Instead, he struck it.

And water still gushed out. The people still got what they needed. The immediate crisis was solved.

But Moses lost something far greater.

God’s response?

“Because you did not trust in Me enough to honor Me as holy… you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12)

After everything—after leading them for decades, after interceding for them, after standing in the presence of God—Moses would not enter the Promised Land.

Because obedience to God isn’t just about the end result. It’s about how we get there.

When Frustration Leads to Disobedience

I get it.

I understand the temptation to take matters into my own hands. To let frustration dictate my response. To feel like I know better.

And it’s not lost on me that I tend to be… reactive.

We always joke with our friends J and Monica because Talacey and J are the stoic, level-headed, slow-to-speak ones. But Monica and me? Not so much.

My default is to speak before I think, to let emotions get the best of me.

It spills into my work too. When a coworker sends a stupid email, my first instinct is to craft the perfect smackdown reply and hit send before I’ve thought twice.

Moses had a moment like that.

And it cost him.

The Danger of Doing God’s Work in Our Own Way

The sobering part of this story is that God still brought water from the rock. The people still got what they needed.

From the outside, it looked like Moses’ method worked.

But the outcome didn’t justify the disobedience.

And that’s the danger for us, too.

How often do we try to do God’s work in our own way?

We want to lead our families, but instead of relying on prayer and patience, we lead with control and frustration.

We want to serve God, but instead of surrendering to His timing, we push forward in our own strength.

We want to see spiritual growth, but instead of waiting on Him, we manipulate circumstances to make things happen faster.

And sometimes, we still get results. The rock still brings water. But at what cost?

At the cost of trust. At the cost of peace. At the cost of honoring God above our own need for control.

Jesus Chose a Different Way

In John 7, Jesus’ own brothers try to rush Him.

They tell Him to go to Jerusalem and prove Himself. To gather a following. To perform miracles publicly.

“If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” (John 7:4)

But Jesus refuses.

“My time has not yet come.” (John 7:6)

He wasn’t driven by pressure. He wasn’t manipulated by expectations. He wasn’t in a hurry to prove anything.

Because Jesus wasn’t just after results. He was after faithfulness.

Am I Striking When I Should Be Speaking?

I think about Moses. I think about his frustration. I think about how easy it is to react instead of trust.

And I have to ask myself:

Where am I striking when I should be speaking?

Where am I forcing what God has asked me to trust Him with?

Where am I trying to control instead of surrender?

Because God’s way is always better.

Even when it feels slow.

Even when it feels uncertain.

Even when I don’t like the answer.

I don’t want to do God’s work in a way that dishonors Him.

I don’t want to let frustration override faith.

I don’t want to strike the rock when He’s simply asked me to speak.

And maybe speaking looks like praying instead of reacting. Waiting instead of forcing. Trusting instead of taking matters into my own hands.

Lord, help me trust Your way over my own. Keep me from taking matters into my own hands when You’ve asked me to wait, to listen, to obey. Let my faith be marked by surrender, not control. Amen.