The Bitter Pool (1)

IN Exodus 15:22-23, we see the children of Israel complaining against Moses after their great deliverance from the hands of their enemies, the Egyptians. The Lord brought them into the wilderness and they went three days without finding water. When they finally arrived at Marah, they found water, but could not drink it because it was bitter. So, they began to complain to Moses about what they would drink. They forgot the miracle they just encountered three days before; they had been praising and dancing to God, but now that they were thirsty and could only find bitter water, they began to grumble and complain.

The children of Israel had been miraculously delivered from the hands of the Egyptians. They must have concluded that since they were out of Egypt, their problems were over; they were, therefore, not ready for the next shock that they encountered. They were not prepared for the thirst that they faced and the disappointment that they felt when all they could find was bitter water to drink. But God was prepared because it was He that led them to Marah. He knew that they would encounter the bitter water and He had already prepared a solution for them. God may be leading you on a journey and all of a sudden you come across a situation that you had not expected and were not prepared for; you need to remember that God does not start something and not complete it. If you are in that situation, you need to take your eyes off the problem that you may be facing and focus on the problem solver.

Despite the complaints of the multitude around him, Moses had the sense to pray to God. God is never confronted with a situation to which He does not have an answer. The key to the problem that the children of Israel were facing was close to them, but they could not see it. The key to the problem that you are facing right now may be next to you but you cannot see it. All you need do is pray to God to open your eyes and reveal the required solution to you; you have to have faith in Him. Moses had faith in the Most High God that He could deliver them. He refused to look at the problem but focused instead on God. And as soon as he prayed to God, God gave him the solution. Exodus 15:25 states “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.”

The fact that the waters became sweet when Moses threw in the tree does not mean that there was necessarily any power in the tree; it was just an act of faith on the part of Moses to release the power of God. It takes the act of faith to release the miracle power of God. God has given some Christians visions about their future but the only thing that can bring about that vision is faith. Without faith, a vision can be destroyed. The woman with the issue of blood in Matthew 9:20-22 said, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” What she did was an act of faith.

Pastor Ogunorunyinka is the General Overseer of The Promisedland Restoration Ministries, Surulere, Lagos.
For counselling: call 08027784375, 08032011797, 08029319152, 01-2912729
Email: pastorseyiogunorunyinka@gmail.com