Anticipate Trials
by Harold Vaughan
Scripture Reading: Exodus 15:23-24 Now when they came to Marah ,they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter … And the people complained against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?"
God led the children of Israel out of Egypt by the glory cloud. Soon they were at Marah (which means "bitterness"). No, it wasn't Moses' inability to follow directions that had brought them to this place. It was God who had led them to the bitter waters of Marah for the purpose of trying them, and the children of Israel failed miserably. They murmured and complained. Only days earlier, they were praising God with loud voices; and now they were lifting their voices against God and His man. Moses found himself in charge of three million gripers!
Sooner or later, God leads all of His children to bitter places to see if they will pass the test. It's not a matter of "if " but "when" trials will come. These trials are really blessings in disguise, and they are disguised so well that we would never consider them beneficial until they are passed.
Growing in Christ-likeness is never cheap. It comes with a price tag. Alexander McClaren said, "The pathway of spiritual progress will be marked by the bloody footprints of wounded self-love." Affliction is God's way of deposing self. We should view adversity, trials, and temptations as opportunities to dethrone the "old man."
We may have no choice concerning the bitter circumstances that come our way, but we sure have a choice in how we respond to these trials. The bitter waters of Marah were made sweet by divine provision. The Lord told Moses to cut down the tree and cast it into the waters. When he did, the waters were healed. When we find ourselves drinking from a bitter fountain, our answer is also found in a tree. The cross of Christ has the amazing ability to heal the debilitating effects of bitter circumstances. Healing is never far off when we can look beyond the situation and remember the mighty atoning work of Calvary.
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