-October 31, 2022-
Good morning, happy Monday,
“Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’ So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a ordinance for them, and there He tested them.”
(Exodus 15:23-25).
Israel had just experienced a tremendous victory over Pharaoh and the Egyptians at the Red Sea. It was one of the greatest examples of God’s power and deliverance. For years afterward they celebrated this victory that God had wrought for them. With all of the that, the people were prone to complaining. Before we judge them too harshly, we must ask ourselves, “How much do I complain?”
God led them three days into the wilderness of Shur. They found no water. We all need water for our bodies to survive. They then came to a place where there was water, but they couldn’t drink it for it was bitter. They named it Marah, meaning bitter. The word bitter is defined as, “having a sharp, pungent taste or smell; not sweet.” Life is often full of bitter experiences. This was the case with Naomi in the book of Ruth. She and her husband Elimelech left the land of Israel and their home in Bethlehem due to a severe famine. Life there, which was outside God’s will, resulted in one tragedy after another. First her husband died, then her two sons.
When she and daughter-in-law Ruth returned to Bethlehem the people recognized her and were excited to see her. Her name meant pleasant but she told the people, “…Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me” (Ruth 1:21-22).
We see from her return and restoration to the Lord that God turned her bitter into sweet. Ruth married Boaz and Naomi became got to take care of Ruth’s son Obed, who became the grandfather of David. Only God can do this. God does not make us bitter but He makes us better.
Moses found a tree and cast it into the bitter water and it became sweet. This sinful, broken world is full of bitterness, but God turned our bitterness to sweetness at the cross of Calvary. Jesus died for our sins and bore them in His own body. We who were far from God have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Still today, God turns our bitter into sweet. Romans 8:28 reminds us, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Just as God tested the Israelites through this experience, He does so with us. How do we respond when trials, hardships, difficulties, and sorrows come into our lives? Do we blame God or others, or do we accept them with thankfulness and contentment? God often disciplines His children for our good. He can cause us to find streams in the desert. Let us seek the Lord and His perfect will. He will turn our bitter into sweet, our bitterness into betterness.
Have a blessed day looking to the positive not the negative, the good not the bad. Our glass is not only half full, but it overflows with blessings. Stay safe and healthy.
Looking to the Lord in all things,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 