Well, this is Exodus 15:22–27, and I've entitled it “Living Water.”
Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
There the LORD made for them a statue and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”
Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.
This little passage that I've just read is another one of those reminders that we should slow down, as we're reading God's Word, and dig like archeologists. First, in this passage, there's a picture of how hard the life of faith really is. Like the children of Israel, we don't know very much, and we don't know what's around the corner for us, and we don't control very much. So, like the Israelites, we often panic when trouble comes, when we feel unprepared for what we're facing, or when we don't feel like we have what we need. In this situation, it's water.
And we're reminded again, and this reminder is all throughout Scripture, that faith really is unnatural for us. Fear is natural, anxiety is natural, playing the what-ifs and the if-onlys in your brain are natural, but faith is unnatural for us. And it's only possible because of God's grace. I mean, think about this, here we have about a million people in the wilderness, not a thousand, not ten-thousand, not one-hundred-hundred thousand, but a million, and no drinkable water! On a human level, that is a major crisis, but God is with them and he's for them, and he miraculously provides drinkable water for them.
Second thing to notice is God calls Israel to the same foundational lifestyle that He calls all of us to. You can say it in two words; it's the words of a great hymn, “Trust and Obey.” If they would trust him and they would obey him, he would protect them and provide for them.
The third thing to observe is that God knew exactly where He was leading them. His guiding hand is always right. He always leads us exactly where we need to be. Israel was in the place where God wanted them to be. He wanted them to be utterly dependent on him. That getting-used-to being dependent on him was going to be very important when they faced the trouble in the promised land.
The fourth thing is you have to remember that this provision of drinkable water is a finger that points us to the one who would come, Jesus, the living water. Jesus came to quench the deepest kind of thirst; that's spiritual thirst. He alone is able to satisfy the thirst of our parched hearts. Jesus calls us to come to Him to believe that He will provide for us what we need. And He calls us away from our tendency to drink from dry wells and looking for life where it can't be found. Today you will face challenges of faith. May you cry for God's grace so that you would “Trust and Obey!”
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. When trouble comes into your life or you feel unprepared for what you’re facing, what is your typical response? Why? Why do you think panic, fear, anxiety, and playing “what-if” is so easy for most people? How is it easy for you?
2. In what ways has putting your faith in God despite your circumstances played out in your life recently? How did the Lord meet you? In what ways did you spiritually grow? Has wisdom grown in your life as a result of your increased faith? How so?
3. In the midst of crisis, how have you seen God be for you and with you? In what ways have you seen God be for and with someone you observed going through difficult times?
4. What do you think it would look like for you to trust and obey God when your inevitable next trial comes around? How do you think your posture of dependence on him would play out in the midst of trials and suffering?
What might be some areas in your life where God has met you and provided for you, and how can you see those God-orchestrated provisions point to the Savior, Jesus?
For Younger Children:
1. When hard things happen, how do you normally respond? Why do you think it’s so easy to panic or get mad when something doesn’t go your way?
2. What do you think God can teach us when we go through hard times? How can hard times teach us lessons that we can’t learn when things are going great?
3. Do you think we can still trust God when things aren’t going well in life? Why or why not? What do you think God wants from us when life is difficult and things aren’t going the way we want them to go?
For Older Children:
1. How do you typically respond when something difficult happens or things don’t go the way you want them to go? Why do you think it’s so easy for human beings to panic when life doesn’t go their way?
2. What kinds of things can we learn when we go through difficult times that we can’t learn when everything is going great? How, then, might difficult times be something that God uniquely uses to teach us and grow us?
3. Why do you think trust and obedience are so important to God?
4. What might be some areas in your life where God has met you and provided for you, and how can you see those God-guided blessings point to the Savior, Jesus?
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