We know how to Pray, but do we know how to Rest

I wanted to continue from the earlier thought of Do not forget the Lord our God, and reflect on something I realized as I came to the end of the book of Numbers. As the journey of Israel is summarized through the places they camped, two locations caught my attention. They mirrored something I often notice in my own life. I go on my knees quickly during troubled times, seeking answers from God, but I tend to remain quiet when things are smooth. Does that sound familiar to you as well?

This thought came as I reflected on Marah and Elim in Exodus 15 and Numbers 33. Israel had just crossed the Red Sea, witnessed one of the greatest miracles, sang a song of victory, and then entered the wilderness. Three days later they arrived at Marah, where the water was bitter and undrinkable. The people complained, Moses cried out to the Lord, and God showed him a tree that made the water sweet. At Marah, prayer was urgent. It was desperate. And there, God revealed Himself as the Lord who heals.

Marah feels familiar. Many of us know that place well. It is where we pray not because we planned to, but because we have no other option. Pain sharpens our prayer life. Crisis makes us dependent. And God meets us there. But immediately after Marah, Israel came to Elim. Elim looked very different. There were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees which signifies abundance, shade, rest. Scripture records no complaints there. No urgent prayer. Just quiet enjoyment of what God had already provided.

And that is where the tension lies. We know how to pray at Marah, but we do not always know how to rest at Elim. At Marah, we pray because we need God. At Elim, we often stop because we feel secure. We mistake rest for independence and blessing for self-sufficiency. We cry out when life is bitter, but quietly drift when life is full. Yet God intentionally led Israel to Elim to teach them something Marah could not — how to remain in His presence without urgency. Rest was not an excuse to disconnect; it was an invitation to dwell.

Elim was not meant to replace prayer, but to deepen it. God does not desire a relationship built only on emergencies. He desires fellowship in both desperation and abundance. Prayer teaches us dependence, but rest teaches us trust.

As I reflect on this, I am challenged to ask myself, do I only run to God when something is wrong? or can I stay with Him when everything feels right? Can I rest in His presence without needing Him to fix something? God wants us not only to visit Him at Marah, but to dwell with Him at Elim.