Exodus 15:27 – After leaving Marah, the Israelites traveled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the water. God’s children often experience Marah in their life which is a test of the extent of their trust in the Lord. It is amazing to see that Marah often comes soon after great victories like that of the crossing of the Red Sea which was a great obstacle. Crossing of the Red Sea was a great experience of victory which results in great jubilation. But soon God’s people have to face a mundane situation which also requires as much faith as they had at Red Sea. Sadly we find God’s people some times grumble at such tests and forget the God who gave them great victory just a few days back. But our God is faithful and trustworthy even for the mundane. The God who was faithful at Red Sea is capable of meeting the needs at Marah also. But things do not end there. They need to go farther in their sojourn, and He has already planned everything for them to meet all their needs. He has already planned an oasis with enough provisions for them and their animals. There is going to be water to drink and fruit to eat for the entire crowd, and grass for the cattle. It is at such times when we see the provisions the Lord has made for all our needs that we recognize the deeper concerns God has for His children. He doesn’t want them to go hungry and thirsty. He doesn’t want them to be always in the desert with its heat and dust. His route map for His children includes an oasis also, with ample provisions for food, water and rest. He once again proves to His people that He is their Ebenezer and Jehovah-Jireh!
Dear friend, if the Lord has given you a great victory which causes you to praise Him for it, you need to expect another test of your faith in the near future. The test at Marah is to see how much you trust in the Lord and have grown spiritually because of your Red Sea experience. Just as you close the hymn of thanksgiving, another test is awaiting you and He expects you to pass this test of faith. Surely He knows that the water at Marah is bitter and He doesn’t expect you to drink it. His miracle at Marah is on the way, but we must realize that grumbling is not the way to experience this new miracle. Grumbling takes away the joy of drinking the miraculous water at Marah. Trust in the Lord and earnest prayer from us will also bring forth the same miracle, instead of murmuring. But God doesn’t stop even there, and will lead us forward to Elims in our lives when He will give us rest on the way lest we will be weary with travel. So there are some interludes planned by the Lord with adequate provisions till it is time to keep moving. But Elim is not for us to be satisfied and make us stay there, like Abraham’s satisfaction with Ishmael. God has greater things planned for us, and in order to experience those, we need to keep moving. But it has to be by faith and not by sight. Perhaps we will not see another Elim, but we will keep experiencing the God of Elim with newer experiences to continue to enjoy His grace and compassion. So dear friend, let us today trust the Lord, not because of His miracles or escapes which He provides, but because of whom He is. Let us trust Him for His grace and compassion for us which is what makes us keep going even today and enjoy the Elims that He prepares for us.
Psalms 107:35 – (The Lord) turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs. Thought for TodayThe route prepared by the Lord for His children passes through oasis, palm trees, pools of water and flowing springs.
