In Genesis 15:22-27, after the children of Israel have passed through to the other side of the Red Sea, over dry land while massive walls of water are kept at bay with the breath of God, they begin to complain.
They have been walking in the wilderness for three days without drinkable water. Their only water source is bitter in the land of Marah (meaning bitter).
Moses intercedes on behalf of the people. Crying out to the LORD, He asks Him to provide drinkable water for them.
God shows Moses a tree.
What? God's answer to the bitter water problem is a tree?
Moses had to be thinking the same, but He didn't question. Although God's instructions of what to do with the tree isn't noted, Moses was moved to throw the tree into the waters. In doing so, the bitter water became sweet to the taste.
Not only was it now drinkable water, but it was...
Refreshing.
Soothing.
Good.
God didn't remove the source of water, but He changed the taste of the water.
There are so many layers of truth in just these few verses, but the one for today is:
God doesn't have to remove the bitter to make it sweet.
God didn't dry up the bitter water supply and produce a new supply for the people. He answered the cry of His people, inserted His power, and the taste of the water changed.
Isn't that how God works in our lives? It's not that He removes what tastes bitter or bad, He inserts His power into what seems bitter and stirs the waters, making them sweet to the taste.
God may not change our circumstances, but He can change our tastebuds.
God wants us to taste and see that He is good in ALL things. He is our refuge, our happy place, when our souls are thirsty for relief (Psalm 34:8).
The Lord waits patiently for us to cry out in our time of need because our cry signifies that we know He is the only one who can do the miraculous in the midst of our bitter situation.
How about you? Are you struggling for relief in the midst of something bitter tasting in your life? Cry out to Jesus, dear one. He is interceding on our behalf to the Father just as Moses interceded on behalf of the children of Israel. God can change what is bitter to sweet if we'll just allow His hand to stir the waters of our souls.
My Pleasure,
Melanie
Wow! A powerful message I believe most Christian must come to grips with. There are plenty of hard circumstances that God allows us to remain a part of for His greater purposes. We can whine and complain or we can ask him to make the bitter become sweet until our circumstances change.
ReplyDeleteI really needed to read this. Thanks!
Thank you, Beckie. I'm so glad it spoke to you. This is a tough lesson to learn, but when we do, the sweet taste is more "delish" than we could ever imagine.
DeleteThis is really timely! I recently learned that a dear friend's little boy was diagnosed with leukemia. Needless to say, we are all stunned. Thanks for the reminder to look to God and not circumstances for the sweet in our lives.
ReplyDeleteThe bitter sometimes seems to overshadow the sweet, so we must be intentional in letting God tweak our tastebuds. I'm so glad this spoke to you as it has deeply to me. Thank you, Lyneta, for reading and commenting. Lifting prayers now for your friend's little one. Blessings!
DeleteWhat insight! "God doesn't have to remove the bitter to make it sweet." I had never thought about this in connection with this passage. You're right--He can help us to be thankful even in the most bitter of circumstances. What a beautiful thought!
ReplyDeleteHeather Bock
www.glimpsesofjesus.com
Thanks Heather! God has been showing me some really cool stuff lately. So glad I could share this with my readers. Blessings!
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