“When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink.” Exodus 15:23
Talk about disappointment. The Israelites were in the desert. They were ready for some refreshment. What a thrill to find an oasis… but the water was too bitter to drink.
Maybe you’ve been to that place, too? Something beckoned to you on your dusty journey and you went after it, only to have the promised good evaporate like a mirage. The whole thing left a bitter taste in your mouth, in your spirit.
I don’t know the details of your story, but I do know God doesn’t waste anything. Look what happened next – “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… [Then God] 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”” (Exodus 15:26). At that place of deep disappointment and need, the Lord offered the Israelites a relationship.
I read this and think, Throw a stick in the water? What good will that do? God’s prescriptions sometimes don’t seem to make much sense. But they’re an opportunity to put our faith to the test – do we really trust Him enough to do what He says, even when we don’t quite understand it?
There is a tree that can be cast into your bitter waters that will make them sweet to drink. It is the Cross. It isn’t a magic stick, but the miracle of God’s deep, loving concern for you. He cares about what has happened to you, He has what it takes to heal you, and He is ready to help you.