OUR AWESOME GOD

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

"Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?" Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you." Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water." Exodus 15:22-27

Water. It’s one of the vital elements needed for survival. Our bodies need it and in the right quantity so they can function properly. Without water, dehydration can set in and death can follow. As we read in today’s passage, Moses has "led Israel from the Red Sea and…into the Desert of Shur." For three days, they travel through the "desert without finding water." Ironically, the people of Israel were surrounded by walls of water as they passed through a divided Red Sea but now couldn’t find a drop. Not at least until "they came to Marah" and finally found the water they desperately needed. On the surface, it appeared like all would now be well for the Israelites, but there was a problem.

Scripture tells us that "they could not drink its water because it was bitter" and "people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What are we to drink?’" We get a sense that the Israelite people still weren’t firm in their faith in a God who had already shown them His awesome power and love. Despite all the prior miracles performed, the people didn’t even consider that God could do something about their current circumstance. Instead of crying out to Him, they complained to Moses.

Question: How often have you faced a dilemma and instead of just faithfully turning to the Lord for help, you instead decided to complain to someone else?

Well, Moses received the cries of the people God gave him to lead and interceded for them. And the Lord responded to Moses and the need for drinkable water by showing him a piece of wood. Huh? The answer to making the water drinkable is….wood? In this instance, the answer from God is "yes".

For Moses places the wood "into the water, and the water became sweet." Yet another miracle had occurred right before the eyes of the people of Israel. And the Lord took advantage of the opportunity to send the people a strong message saying, ""If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you." In other words, God demanded that the Israelites be obedient…or else. God didn’t want to bring hardship on His people but reserved the right to do so if His people failed to respect Him and follow His commands and decrees. After all, He was the God of great power who had delivered them with a great miracle at the Red Sea. They also saw how Pharoah’s stubborn heart and refusal to be obedient to God led to the Lord bringing "diseases" on Egypt. It definitely was in their best interest to follow God’s guidance and you would have thought they would have done so from this point forward after all they had witnessed…but they didn’t.

Question: How much are we like the Israelites today? We see as many miracles happening all around us and yet we still often refuse to respect God by showing the kind of faith that says, "Lord, I know you can fix anything in my life according to Your will and I am placing my trust fully in You."

God expects our faith and trust in Him. There is nothing we will go through that He can’t handle. He has an answer when we have none. He has a solution when we have none. He is God…our awesome God in heaven above…with wisdom, power and love…our God IS an awesome God. Believe and trust in this.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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