GUS LISING
Life can never be controlled nor predicted. We often expect blessings will always be good, only to be disappointed. On the flip side, what we thought to be difficult eventually turns out to be a blessing. I’ve had moments such as these. We all have our fair share of disappointments, mistakes, failures & tragedies. Life with bitter moments is not my cup of tea.
Sometimes, we believe that being a Christ-follower means everything will be milk and honey. However, for most of us, our faith journey with Jesus is not always pleasant. More or less, it isn’t enjoyable.
The Exodus Experience
In Exodus 15:22-27, the Israelites had just come out of Egypt. They had seen a miracle! They crossed the Red Sea like dry land and escaped the Egyptians! They had great expectations for a new life away from Egypt.
Moses led the Israelites away from the Red Sea into the Desert of Shur. They traveled for three days in the desert but found no water. Then they came to Marah, where there was water, but they could not drink it because it was too bitter. (That is why the place was named Marah.) The people grumbled to Moses and asked, “What will we drink?”
After the Red Sea experience, they traveled for three days without water. They were tired and thirsty. God’s people thought they would have the ride of their life; after all, their God just set them free after 400 years of hardship. Similarly, we concluded that having given our lives to Christ, all our concerns, forgiven, and now empowered by His Spirit, all will be well. We know that is not the case. The whole story, right!
Then, out in the desert, they see the water – water time of refreshing to quench their thirst. The God who saved them from the Egyptians is giving them water in the desert!
Faith in Jesus. Everything will be ok.
Oh no! Great disappointment. Bitter water! What! They grumbled as you and I would. Complained. Upset and angry toward God. Bitter. Resentful. They forgot the Red Sea.
But wait. The story is not finished yet.
So Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When Moses threw the tree into the water, the water became good to drink. There the Lord gave the people a rule and a law to live by, and there he tested their loyalty to him.
He said, “You must obey the Lord your God and do what he says is right. If you obey all his commands and keep his rules, I will not bring on you any of the sicknesses I brought on the Egyptians. I am the Lord who heals you.”
Then the people traveled to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. So the people camped there near the water.
Moses cried to the Lord. The Lord showed up. Moses saw a tree.
Throw a tree into the water? The Red Sea parted, right? They walked in the dry ground to escape the Egyptians! Moses obeyed. He threw the tree into the water.
Bitter water turned to sweet, refreshing, thirst-quenching water. Refreshing. The most beautiful experiences with God are not the great blessings that surprise us. Rather, those experiences that started bitter, betrayals, hurts, and wrong decisions that out of his mercy and kindness have worked things for our good and His glory. It reminds me of tapestries made from different colors and threads, woven together to create a unique design.
Not only that, as they moved through the desert, they arrived at Elim, “where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees.”
Lessons from Exodus
How about us. Are we in the desert? Are we alone? Is it a bitter moment?
Times in the desert are never pleasant. Times alone in the desert are sometimes bitter.
In truth, I learned that life is to experience Jesus more, whether in sweet or bitter moments. It is not about whether I had more sweet moments or bitter moments today; it is about where Jesus is in this experience. It is about embracing what life has to offer with Jesus because Jesus makes the bittersweet.
In the deserts we walk in, we are never alone. We are never alone in our moments of pain. Jesus shows up and is present. Maybe we don’t ever feel or see him, but He is there because Jesus makes the bittersweet.
Ask Him for a tree to throw into the bitter water. He will show you a tree. Throw it in the water. Bitter water will be sweet.
Remember the cross? It is like a tree. The cross reminds us that Jesus is present for us. We are not alone. The cross reminds us that He loves us. He died for you and me. Jesus enters our bitter waters. God is in the transformation business. He does not throw bitter waters and replace them. He transforms because Jesus makes the bittersweet.
We all have bitter experiences. No one is exempted. We all have our fair share of painful moments when we are in the desert…when we feel alone…when we are thirsty and tired. How will Jesus make the bittersweet?
How we respond will make a difference. Will we stay complaining and resentful? Will we remain bitter? Will we see the tree God sends to make the bitter waters sweet? Will we obey and throw the tree into the waters? God is in the business of transforming lives. He makes the desert. He allows the thirst. He makes the water. And it may not be enjoyable. He provides the tree because Jesus makes the bitter water sweet.