Exodus 15:25
“Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.”
God helps us in endless ways. We can look at the ways Jesus helped in the New Testament. It’s a fun exercise, as He was always creative. Here are some examples of miracles: a) to a lame man, He said, “rise and walk”, b) to a blind man, he spit in the dirt, made mud and rubbed it in his eyes, c) to get money, he told his disciples to go and catch a fish, there would be a coin in it’s mouth, d) to free a demon possessed man, he cast them out into some unclean animals, e) to rescue his friends from shipwreck, he stood up and told the storm to “be still”, and on and on.
In today’s passage, I’m not sure if this is a miracle or if God is giving wilderness wisdom to clean the water. There are pills that can be added to foul water to make it drinkable. It’s possible that the tree had a cleansing agent that would purify water. It didn’t matter, for in the end the water was drinkable.
God works in many ways in our lives. Sometimes it’s a miracle and other times it’s practical. For example, if we’re sick, He can help us through the natural channels: good meds, healthy eating or good medical advice. Other times He can heal us miraculously. We may be in need of finances. Sometimes He provides opportunities for extra work and other times it shows up in a more miraculous way. I’ve heard of money showing up in an envelope on the doorstep anonymously and unsolicited.
The people in today’s passage were panicked with thirst. They had traveled three days without fresh water. They were craving while traveling. The were probably outdoing one another with thirst stories as well as exaggerating how much they would drink. They got more hopeful as they got closer. They were crushed when they found out the water was bad. We will also be distressed. We are to go to God while we are working at a solution. He will make a way.
Give Him thanks regardless as to how it’s resolved. It’s usually fixed by our own perseverance. We should still thank Him. We prayed and He may have enlightened us with the remedy. He still gets credit as He created us and gave us our minds and problem solving abilities.
Lord, thank You for the creative ways You work in our lives. Help us to always go to You and to be grateful.