Is God Here or Not?

Following is an excerpt from a sermon by Rev. Alex Joiner (United Methodist Church) addressing today's first reading from Exodus. To read the entire sermond (it's good!) go to http://day1.org/880-is_god_here_or_not

So in a relationship with God's people that was often frustrating, trying and even threatening, Moses tried to give the people a sense that they lived in more than a material world. It wasn't that they were wrong to be thirsty or hungry or scared or frustrated -- God dealt directly with their physical needs. What they failed to see was a God-filled world wrought with wonder and wild holiness. They saw only emptiness and Moses saw what desert hermits and monks have always seen -- a God who often comes to us in our most troubled moments, a God who comes to provide, not only water, but living water.
We're still in the wilderness, you and I. We wander through landscapes blasted by pain and addiction, abuse and neglect. The many sounds and noises of our multimedia age ring hollow in the emptiness of our lives. Through grief and loss and failure we come to know the desolation of the heart. Oh, we know the wilderness, you and I, because that is where we live. And we thirst for water, for hope, for healing. What Moses reminds us is that what we seek is God. Is God here or not? The wilderness is a terrible place to lose your way, but it's a wonderful place to find it. Thanks be to God.