Exodus 17:1-7

1At the LORD's command, the people of Israel left the Sin Desert and moved from place to place. Eventually they came to Rephidim, but there was no water to be found there. 2So once more the people grumbled and complained to Moses. "Give us water to drink!" they demanded."Quiet!" Moses replied. "Why are you arguing with me? And why are you testing the LORD?" 3But tormented by thirst, they continued to complain, "Why did you ever take us out of Egypt? Why did you bring us here? We, our children, and our livestock will all die!" 4Then Moses pleaded with the LORD, "What should I do with these people? They are about to stone me!" 5The LORD said to Moses, "Take your shepherd's staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile. Then call some of the leaders of Israel and walk on ahead of the people. 6I will meet you by the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come pouring out. Then the people will be able to drink." Moses did just as he was told; and as the leaders looked on, water gushed out. 7Moses named the place Massah--"the place of testing"--and Meribah--"the place of arguing"--because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the LORD by saying, "Is the LORD going to take care of us or not?"

New Living Translation

Poor Moses!  Can you imagine having an entire nation of people complaining to you about a lack of fresh water in the desert?  What could he do about it?  The situation was an impossible one!

Yet Moses and the Israelites had seen God deal with impossible situations before.  He rescued them from slavery, parted the sea so they could escape Pharaoh, and even gave them manna every day so they could eat. 

Still, the people's first response when a problem arose was to complain.  Maybe it was habit.  When they were in Egypt, they were powerless.  When things went wrong, all they could do was pray.  When, over the course of 400 years those prayers appeared unanswered, they shifted from praying to complaining. 

They were no longer asking for help, because they lost the expectation that God was listening, and caring.  They let Him know about their situation, but in an accusatory way, instead of an anticipatory way.

But the reality was, God had been listening all along, and was working out His plan.  Once the time was right, the people saw miracle after miracle. 

In spite of that, every time they faced a new challenge, they lost faith.  They didn't expect help from God.  They saw every challenge as abandonment, instead of a new opportunity to see God work on their behalf.

I have the same problem, I have to confess.  I wonder, what will it take for me to change my typical response of complaining and accusing God of abandonment, and instead to present the situation to Him with faith and expect Him to act?