This is Only a Test

Have you ever fallen asleep watching that all-night John Wayne Movie Marathon and been wakened in the wee hours of the morning by the annoying sound of the emergency broadcasting system check? Drool running from the corner of your mouth, contacts dried onto your bleary eyes, and ears still ringing with that annoying tone (beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep), you wonder to yourself and maybe say out loud "What was that all about? Why did I need to go through that painful experience? Can we get back to the Duke here?"

No one likes to get into painful situations. However, painful situations will happen as you journey. The Israelites hit such a bottom point only three days out from the Red Sea. At the end of Exodus 15, they came to a spot on the map where they were without water and they found a shallow, small hole in the wilderness called Marah. Marah means "bitter" and this drinking hole was the reason for the name on the sign. As the Israelites got to this low spot in their spiritual walk, a couple of things happened:

1. They lost faith in God -- 14:31 said that they had faith in God and in Moses. then 15:24 declares that they complained against Moses. They couldn't see past the bad taste in their mouth. Moses fortunately doesn't join in on their chorus; he prays and talks to God about the situation.
2. God did something miraculous -- 15:25 says that God helped Moses know what to do next in this low spot of intense trouble. And Moses obeyed, thereby opening the floodgates for a miracle to occur.
3. God used this hardship to teach the Israelites a valuable lesson -- This place, Marah was a test point. It was intended to strengthen faith. The faith that was dropped as soon as the way became bitter was not genuine -- it was "blue skies and sunny" faith. The "blue skies" faith is a common commodity -- lots of people have that. The "bitter water" faith is fairly rare. The only way that you get it is at the low, hard spots of life.

The lesson that God was instructing the Israelites on was the standard by which God blesses or chastens his children:

"If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer." Ex. 15:26, NASB

One of the parts I love about this verse is that the LORD gets a new name -- Healer. He is saying that this test will determine whether I have to spank you or not. And if I do have to spank you (you failed the test) I will work to restore you and forgive you and make it whole again. He wants to heal us after He does the surgery necessary. He exposes the needs we have for surgery at the Marah test sites. He shows us that we are still immature or even diseased and then He sets about to bring correction and healing. What a great Physician!

Are you in a Marah location right now? God wants to use it to expose the bitter and make it sweet. He wants to heal the junk that you are carrying inside. Let him make the corrections so that the next time this comes up, you pass the test! Don't be like King Beltshazzar who was weighed and found wanting!

Do your work and then heal me, LORD,
Mike