Have you had a good drink today? No matter what you like best to drink, the main part of it is water. There are dozens of ways to get the water our bodies need, and everyone needs it every day, no matter where you live. Even thousands of years ago, everybody needed water to drink every day.
What is all this water made of ? Maybe it’s a surprise to you to learn that it’s made of hydrogen and oxygen, and neither of these is wet to begin with. Hydrogen is a gas that makes balloons go up, and oxygen is a gas that comes from green plants in sunshine. Who ever thought of putting those two together and making clear, wet stuff for us to drink? God did! And you can’t live long without it!
There were about two million people walking across the desert, more than three thousand years ago. They were gloriously happy and free, because God had just brought them through the Red Sea on dry land and had drowned all their enemies when they tried to follow them! They felt as if all their troubles were past, and now the day was a good day.
As they walked, they got very thirsty, but there was nothing to drink that first day, and that made them not quite so happy. There was no water on the second day either. Finally on the third day they saw water sparkling in the distance. Water at last! Stoop down and drink!
Oh, but it was horrible stuff . . . bitter! We can’t drink this water! And then they got angry. Whose idea was it to bring us here? Moses, it’s your fault! What are we going to drink?
I think each of us can understand their unhappiness at this point. Have you wanted something, like right now, and what you found was no good? If you looked around, you could probably find somebody to blame. And you could scowl and make a big fuss about it, and maybe you could find others who shared the disappointment with you.
Does God care about your problem? Oh yes! Remember, He sent His only Son to die for you. Is there any greater proof of His love than this? Tell Him your problem, and let His perfect wisdom, not yours, give you the answer.
Those two million people had a real setback, but they went to the wrong person about it. They should have told God their problem. Remember, He is the God who made hydrogen and oxygen when He created the world, and it was God who put them together to make water for us.
Moses cried to God, and the answer was not what anyone would have expected. . . God showed him a tree! Now how could a tree solve the problem of the undrinkable water?
Are you remembering that God has also shown you and me a tree - the only way to solve our sin problem? The Lord Jesus was nailed to a tree made into the shape of a cross. God has shown us that the wonderful Savior who died on that cross has taken the sins of every believer on Himself, and those sins are gone forever!
Moses cast that tree into the water of Marah, and the water was made sweet! How wonderful for all of those terribly thirsty travelers. Where did the bitterness go? That is God’s secret. It is enough for us to know that God knows how to deal with every problem, and He loves and cares.
The story does not end there. God has better secrets than you ever thought of asking for. The next place they came to was Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees. His blessings are for those who trust Him and wait patiently for Him.
Think About God’s Word!
1. What does God use to make water?
2. What have you “needed” very badly but not gotten when you wanted it? What did Absalom do in 2 Samuel 14:28-3228So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face. 29Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come. 30Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire. 31Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire? 32And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me. (2 Samuel 14:28‑32) when he didn’t get what he wanted?
Project: How does Psalm 37 tell us to respond when we are being mistreated and not getting what we “deserve”?