Page 43 - Living Light Autumn 23

Monday October 16 - Bitter waters, bitter hearts
When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was
bitter. Exodus 15:23
A friendship sours, a promising job folds, health fails. When good things are lost, we feel disappointed, confused, even fearful, and wonder why God gave something good, only to take it away again. We may doubt God’s goodness, asking, “Does he really care?”
God made many wonderful promises to his desert people... to be with them forever, treasure them, make them holy... and through them bring his Christ to save the world. Now, faced with undrinkable water in the desert, it was time to put faith into action and trust in his promises and faithfulness... but did they? Did they remember God’s goodness and cling to him with hopeful trust, or complain against him... becoming bitter like the water? And when the going gets tough, will we?
As Christians we have more of God than his desert people did – ours is the risen Lord Jesus and the certain hope of resurrection life; ours the Holy Spirit, in our hearts right now! The going will get tough, but glory awaits us at the end of the ages; meanwhile the Spirit reminds us of God’s loving kindness through God’s word, and renews our hearts to serve King Jesus today! He makes life’s disappointments draw us deeper into God’s everlasting arms, and will restore the joy of our salvation and give our heart new praise songs to sing with thanksgiving!
Father, my greatest hope, in life and death, is Jesus – please cleanse my heart of bitterness, and make me more like him. Amen.
Tuesday October 17 - Grumbling against God
So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
Exodus 15:24
When you don’t get something you want, do you first ask God, or first blame others – your parents, spouse, teacher, politicians, the driver of the other car – whether they’re at fault or not? There is a big difference between groaning and grumbling; groaning honestly expresses pain and sorrow before God, whereas grumbling expresses disbelief in his power and love.
God’s people were understandably dismayed about Marah’s bitter waters – but grumbling against God’s appointed leader was really blaming God himself. If they had trusted in God’s goodness, they would have trusted him to keep them alive to fulfil his promise to settle them in the Promised Land! All the Bible’s great leaders fell short in one way or another, Moses included – and all foreshadowed God’s promised perfect leader, his Messiah, our precious Lord Jesus.
Jesus has guaranteed our place in his promised heavenly homeland, and he will do it! He accompanies us on our life journey and powerfully provides what we really need along the way. He will comfort us and carry us through every circumstance, challenge and hardship – using these only for our good, and for God’s glory. Perhaps you are currently in a ‘desert’ situation way beyond your control. If so, take heart! Though our earthly journey will include ‘desert places’, it’s there that God draws us close, and we depend on him alone to give us what we truly need – more of Jesus.
Father, please give me more of Jesus... my Saviour-King, my friend and brother, lover of my soul. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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