Derek Smith, Lead Pastor LHBC
Exodus 15:22-27
Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.
When it comes to survival, water is by far the most important resource. You can easily go a day without food, and you can do without shelter right away, unless you’re in below freezing temperatures. Not having any water for 24 hours, however, while survivable, depletes both your physical and mental strength, making it extremely difficult to perform the tasks necessary to make it out of the elements alive. Just three days without sufficient water and your body will shut down. With only about two liters per day your body will be able circulate blood, process food, regulate body temperature (which prevents hypo- and hyperthermia), think clearly, and successfully carry out a host of other internal processes.
Equally as important as water to our physical body is God’s living water to our soul. Jesus told the woman at the well that if she asked Him He would give her living water and her soul would never thirst again. Jesus also said that when we are born again rivers of living water flow from our hearts, which he spoke of the Holy Spirit.
The people of Israel in the passage above have just experienced the incredible miracle of walking through the midst of the Red Sea on dry ground. Now, they come to the wilderness and the water is not potable. In life we go through things that are hard to digest. The water of life is not always sweet, but God always has ingredients by which we can sweeten the water. The Lord showed Moses a log to throw in, and if we will set our attention on Him when life gets bitter it’s amazing how He changes the perspective and sweetens the water. Also, the people complained at Marah, but it was just a few miles further where they found an oasis. If they would have just kept going a little further they would have enjoyed fresh water in abundance much sooner.
May we never forget that there is an oasis at the end of every desert. Also, the Lord always has things along the way to sweeten the water. I don’t know what hardship you’re walking through today. You may be wandering in the midst of a vast spiritual, emotional, or physical wilderness. Just know that the Lord can sweeten the water and that there’s an oasis just around the corner. Set your eyes on Jesus. Trust Him today. Keep moving, and the living water of the Lord will satisfy your soul.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord Jesus, you are the river of life. You have given me living water that floods my soul. Lord, help me to drink deeply of You every day and not drink the bitter water of this world. Oh Lord, I know that in the midst of my hardship your water is sweet. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.