The children of Israel asked Moses that question when they rebelled in the wilderness and were thirsty with apparently no water to drink. They lost faith in the Lord and chided Moses. “And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us, or not?’ ” Exodus 17:7.
We have been in the wilderness longer than the children of Israel were in the wilderness, and the devil has been trying us on every point, but we must not lose faith in God. We are nearing the borders of our heavenly Canaan. Actually, we have been on the borders of Canaan a couple of times before and have been turned back into the wilderness of sin because of unbelief and insubordination.
Satan is determined to disrupt God’s plan, so no one will be ready to meet the Lord when He comes. But Satan is no match for the Lord. God will have a people. Our problem is, will we be among the Lord’s elect, or will we let Satan disrupt our faith?
Praise God, He has not left His people; His hand is over us yet. “The church of God, enfeebled and defective though it is through yielding to temptation, is the only object upon earth on which he bestows his supreme regard. His interest, with all the interest of the heavenly host, is all with his people, who, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, are to shine as lights in the world. His Holy Spirit is giving rich and constant supplies of grace for every emergency. Not one needs to stumble, for Christ has said, ‘He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ ” General Conference Bulletin, April 1, 1897.
There are many inconsistencies among God’s professed people today. Just as when Elijah thought that he was the only one left who was following the Lord, the Lord told him that He had seven thousand who had not bowed their knees to Baal. So today, God has His jewels who love Him and are keeping His commandments, in spite of the apostasy in the professed church.
It may look as though the church is about to fall, but it does not. The problem is in knowing who and what the church is. Some people think it is an organization, but no organization is equivalent to the church. The church uses the organization to accomplish its goals. If an organization becomes corrupt, or is destroyed, that does not mean that there is no church. “God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment, neither is it the various denominations; it is the people who love God and keep His commandments. ‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ Matthew 18:20. Where Christ is even among the humble few, this is Christ’s church, for the presence of the High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity can alone constitute a church.” The Upward Look, 315. God has a church, and His presence is with His church.