Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, June 17, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
For some reason this first sentence just jumped out at me today. I’ve read this passage umpteen times, but I was struck all of a sudden by God’s declaration that they would be “standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb.” It’s such a concrete, embodied image. God isn’t some vague presence hovering above the proceedings. God is in a very human position—standing there—in a very concrete location—on the rock. Maybe no one could see them. Maybe only Moses could. But there they were. I imagine them pointing to the exact spot where Moses was supposed to hit the stone. “Right here, dude. Give it a good crack. You’ll see.” It’s almost intimate.
Sometimes I think we’re tempted to remove God from their miracles unless we’re talking about Jesus, who was fully embodied. But in moments like these, we’re reminded that God isn’t “out there somewhere” controlling us like puppets on strings, or being deliberately nebulous and mysterious. God is present. Right here. Fully. Concretely. Intimately. And they’re pointing at the exact spot where we need to strike next. Miracles will follow.
When does God feel most present to me?
