29 January

BITTER TO SWEET WATER

“When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink…Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. 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. It was there at Marah that the Lord set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him.”

(Exodus 15:23-25, NLT)

God had just performed the awesome miracle of parting the Red Sea. All the Israelites crossed over to the other side while the approaching Egyptian Army were all destroyed. Let us try to imagine what followed: There were very loud shouts of joy and praise of God, great testimonies of the power of God. All the surrounding nations heard about them and were afraid of them and their God. 

Just three days later, their skins of water were all empty. They saw one mirage after another as they journeyed and each time it was just a hope dashed. They remembered the cool water springs in Egypt, conveniently forgetting the slavery and terrible hard labour. How quickly the human mind forgets the good and remembers the bad! Is that not why it is difficult to forgive a hurt?

“Water, water, I can see water”, someone shouted. With a sigh of relief, he scooped and drank the water but, alas, it was bitter! “Bitter! Poison!” he screamed as he spat it out. Immediately, the multitudes began to grumble against Moses. Exasperated Moses cried to the Lord, with his eyes roving around him. As his eyes settled on a log, he knew instantly that it was God speaking to him. Swiftly, he moved forward, picked it up and threw it into the water. “Behold the miracle of our God, go ahead and drink”, Moses shouted. They stood still waiting for him to drink it first. He confidently scooped some water and drank with relish, leaving some for Aaron. Joshua ran towards the water with his cup, followed by others. There was laughter and rejoicing as they set up their camp.

ACTION:  Are you carrying the burden of hurts over those you have helped and rather than show appreciation, have turned against you?

PRAYER: Lord God, help me to always remember your blessings, and patiently wait for your help when I am tempted to grumble and complain.