Day 25 in the Wilderness: Carry the Antidote for bitterness with you.

“Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.””

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭15:23-26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Have you ever looked at rainwater running down a city street? You will notice that it turns from being crystal clear to becoming dirty and debris-ridden as it heads toward the nearest culvert. Now, whereas you might be tempted to put your tongue out to catch the rain, I doubt you would be tempted to get down on your hands and knees to lap the water running down the street. (Rest assured, this is not a PSA on the dangers of drinking street water.)

That water running down the street is an object lesson of how our lives can come to be filled with bitterness (as well as all manner of evil).

Think about it: you start out a day with hopes of accomplishing this or that, with no particular dread in your heart or mind. But, given just a few moments of a bad encounter, or a stressful circumstance, you are suddenly filled with dread, angst, and possibly a whole host of other negative emotions and thoughts.

Now, the reality is that we daily experience circumstances ranging from being stressful to soul-crushing. So, it doesn’t take long for bitterness or dis-ease to become our state of being.

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭30:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

King David knew all too well how bitterness—if you allow it—can take over your life. But he also knew that the Lord can replace bitterness with gladness!

In Isaiah we see a prophetic passage referencing the mission of the Messiah. Additionally, Jesus actually read part of this passage, saying that He had fulfilled it!

“To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.””

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭61:3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Yes, our Lord can turn our mourning into joy, our ashes into something beautiful!

Last time we referenced the oasis the children of Israel camped around after leaving the bitter waters of Marah. Today we will look more closely at the bitter waters.

Depending on the condition of the individual, you can survive three weeks without food, but only three or four days without water. So, you can understand how the additional stress of wondering in the wilderness increased their need for water consumption. At Marah, they had encountered water; but it was undrinkably bitter. But, as we see in our opening scripture, the Lord had provided the remedy for the bitterness.

No matter what life has brought your way, even for those who have been blessed with minimal grief, the fact is, we all have to deal with having our lives, our life force, our thoughts and emotions, clouded with the debris of an evil world. But, I thank God, through Jesus Christ, He has provided the ultimate antidote, or purification system, to make what has been dirtied by the sorrows of life, crystal clear!

For today write this in your “wilderness journal”:

Carry the Antidote for bitterness with you.

#40daysinthewilderness