According to Old Testament history, the above was a song of praise unto the Lord, proclaimed by Moses. Here we are reminded of the faithful character of our righteous God, despite the fact that his people repeatedly disobeyed him. If only they would completely trust his Word, all his covenant blessings would be theirs as promised. He is a God of justice and his work is perfect. Praise the Lord for the record of Israel’s historic years in the wilderness. There is so much to learn from the wandering of the Jewish nation. The pitfalls into which Israel fell were many. Through it all, our Lord was so gracious and saved them, and led them to a place of his peace and blessing. The Israelites learnt to appreciate him more and found that their God’s loving kindness is from generation to generation, and that his mercies are everlasting.

During the COVID-19 global pandemic, it was a time of uncertainty. It was a time when we had to face many disappointments and challenges. Our liberty was affected in many ways. Our loved ones and friends were taken ill. Some even lost hope to carry on. But we took it to the Lord in prayer. Our Lord is a prayer-answering God. Our God is the “Rock” and his work is perfect. We placed our full trust in him. People known to us saw Jesus in their dreams and received healing. Even when we prayed from afar, some of them received the healing touch of the Lord. We prayed for three cases over the telephone, and they recovered from severe illnesses. Our Redeemer lives. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The One who healed his people in the wilderness is still the healer in our midst. 

As we recall the experiences of the Israelites in the wilderness, may we be strengthened to trust our Lord no matter how overwhelming the situation can be, for he is our “Rock.”

We can trust God completely because his work is perfect.

Ruth Devairakkam

Extended Scripture: Deuteronomy 32–34 (NKJV)