Sometimes we go through things, or we face things that we feel we do not deserve or that God has no knowledge of the magnitude of the struggle we are facing. Perhaps the reason the children of God, in this story from Exodus, reacted so to the situation of the bitter water was the fact that they thought God did not know or foresee that they would encounter or experience this? You see, if you go and read verse 22, the people of Israel had moved from the Red Sea into the wilderness, and it was a 3-day journey without water. In the area where I live, we experience water outages periodically and it amazes me how quickly people react and turn on the anger with the municipality and the authorities. Imagine 3 days in a wilderness, without water, it’s enough to bring out the worst in anyone. The question is, is the Lord aware of the situation? You may feel like your situation is so difficult or has been going on for such a long time that you think He does not know what you are facing or going through. The fact of the matter is that nothing happens without God’s knowledge, and He knows all things including the small details. The struggles we face can emanate from so many sources, but He knows this, and He has allowed it to pass our way. I remember when my family and myself were going through a difficult time. We never imagined that we would ever face such challenges, but God had His hand in all of it. At times we even felt God-forsaken, but He had allowed it, as wrong as it was and as unjust as it was, to work within us and produce something in our lives. God knows exactly what you are going through. It may feel like it has been going on too long and now, just as you are understanding something clearly at last, the water is bitter. Perhaps it is that very bitter water that God is going to turn into something sweet.
WE MUST DO WHAT HE TELLS US TO DO
It is of vital importance that we ask the Lord to lead and guide us and then do, or obey, what He tells us to do. The option to ask Him for help is an option that is always available to us. The opportunity to listen to what He wants us to do is also open to us if we will be still enough to hear. The most important thing is to be ready and willing to do what He tells us to do.
Exodus 15:25‘So Moses cried out to the LORD for help, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink.’
How did Moses know, when he saw the piece of wood, that that was God’s answer to the problem. How did he know that he should take that random piece of wood and throw it in the water? At face value it seems like a ridiculous suggestion or a useless action to take. But the Lord must have prompted or told him to take this action, and who would have known that it would be the one thing that would solve the problem and make the bitter water sweet.
HE WILL DO THE MIRACLE
Moses could not solve the problem of the bitter water. There are some problems in life that we cannot solve without God’s help. We cannot do the miracle, only God can do the miracle, perform the impossible and turn the water into wine or the bitter water into sweet water. The Bible tells us that bitter and sweet water cannot flow from the same spring: James 3:11‘Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water?’ This is a rhetorical question because bitter and sweet cannot come from the same source. So, we can safely assume that the sweet water that became available at this oasis was not a good batch of water in the midst of the bitter water. God had done a complete miracle and transformed the water from bitter to sweet. When He does a miracle in our lives and situations, He does not intend to only bring temporary or momentary relief, but He intends to turn the situation around for our good. This miracle of bitter water turning sweet, was followed up with a promise of healing and health that would be available to those who would follow the Lord.
Exodus 15:25-26It was there at Marah that the LORD set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to Him. He said, ”If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, obeying His commands and keeping all His decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD Who heals you.”
This is blessing on blessing. This is what I like to call: ‘Blessed beyond measure!’ But the Lord was not finished blessing them yet!
Exodus 15:27‘After leaving Marah, the Israelites travelled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the water.‘
The Lord can turn something bitter into something sweet and something sweet into something wonderful – He can do it for you! May you be ‘BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE!’
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