The way we act when things don’t go our way says a lot about us.  No doubt, sometimes we’re calm and collected and giving God praise; but at other times we complain, argue, and become demanding.  There is, of course, a better way to respond.  Moses’ experience shows us how to do things differently and find sweet relief by giving our problems to Him.

The children of Israel were unable to find water to quench their thirst on their journey through the Shur Desert.  The water they finally found in Marah was bitter.  So, as they were prone to do, they “turned against Moses” (verse 24).   Moses’ response was to become the intercessor and cry out to the Lord.  God led him to a branch.  The Lord then instructed Moses to throw the branch into the bitter water and God did the impossible- the water became sweet!

It’s important to remember that the children of Israel had just been delivered from Egypt.  In fact, God parted the Red Sea for them.  He opened up the waters, split it in half, and gave them a path of dry ground to walk on with fish and water on either side (and, let’s not forget that God drowned the soldiers who were chasing them).  They had just been blessed and were now complaining because they didn’t have exactly what they wanted.

We’re more like the Children of Israel than we’d like to admit.  Too often we think of our lives, skills, and circumstances as bitter and unusable.  We’re prone to dissatisfaction and God knows it.  We choose to complain in our wilderness. 

God is aware that we want what we want when we want it and, in our self-centeredness, we miss the actions He’s performing around us, and for us, everyday.  But we can choose to do things differently by participating in our own change.  In the midst of our wilderness experience, we can recognize God’s goodness and work in our lives, then seek and obey Him.

We may fret or experience regret because of any number of situations we face, but God can transform our caustic, unpleasant past and current circumstances into agents of praise.  He has the power to change our bitter experiences into sweet refreshment.  Our job is to accept that sweet relief by giving our problems to God.  We can become the intercessors and praisers instead of the complainers.

The miracle was not in the branch.  The branch had no power.  If we considered the branch as merely a tool of obedience, we would understand our own situations a bit better.  God used the branch to facilitate change.  God can use our situations to change us and others- if we let Him.

Prayer was the key to change.  Moses chose to seek God for the answer to the people’s problem, then he obediently followed the directions he was given.  We’re in the best position to be blessed when we yield and do the same. 

God wants to change the way we see ourselves and our circumstances.  We don’t have to become bitter and unsatisfied. If we give what we have to God, He will provide instructions, and the result will be sweet.