February 3, 2026

Today's Reading: Exodus 17:1-7

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 14:1-21; Titus 2:7-3:15

“Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.’ And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.” (Exodus 17:6)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

It often seems that the more we have, the more we complain. Think of a child who gets everything he or she wants and still throws a fit in the toy store. We chuckle or roll our eyes at such a child, but if we are honest, we have all acted like that. Perhaps it was not in the toy aisle, but in our hearts, our homes, and even our prayers.

In modern life, especially in the United States, we are constantly surrounded by abundance. The average American household ranks among the top 1% of global income earners. We have homes, cars, phones, entertainment, food, and medicine in abundance. These gifts are things that previous generations could not even have seen in their sweetest of dreams. And yet we still find things to be dissatisfied about. Whether coveting a better job, a newer phone, more vacation time, or different people in our lives, we grumble, even when our lives are overflowing with gifts.

Spiritually speaking, this grumbling is not a small thing. It reveals that we are often ungrateful toward God. The Lord teaches us to pray for daily bread, and He provides it, but instead of giving thanks, we often complain that it is not the kind of bread we wanted. This is the sin of Israel in the wilderness. God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt. He parted the Red Sea, fed them with manna from heaven, and led them by a pillar of cloud and fire. Yet they grumbled: “Why did you bring us out here to die? We miss Egypt!”

But God did something remarkable. He did not destroy His people. He did not send them back to Egypt. Instead, He gave them water from a rock, a miraculous sign of His grace and provision. And that rock, says St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:4, was Christ. He is the Rock from whom living water flows. He is the One who hears our complaints, bears our sins, and still gives us grace. Even for ungrateful people like us, He offers forgiveness and life. So repent of your grumbling. Return thanks to God. And drink deeply of the mercy that flows from Christ your Rock.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O my God, my rock and tower, grant that in Your death I trust, knowing death has lost its power since You crushed it in the dust. Amen. (LSB 421:6)

Rev. Christopher Brademeyer, St. John's Lutheran Church in Oakes, ND

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.