Today’s Lenten reflection was written by Julie Renton, an Associate Tutor within the Licensed Ministry Training programme.
In Exodus 15:22-27 we read of how, having been three days in the desert without water, the Israelites fell upon the water at Marah only to be disappointed when they found it was bitter and undrinkable. Apparently, three days is the maximum amount of time that the human body can go without water in desert conditions. Why would God lead the Israelites to a place where the only water available was undrinkable? And why does he sometimes lead us to desert or wilderness places?
Chemical analysis has shown the springs at the place believed to be the location of Marah to be so high in mineral content that the water is indeed almost impossible to drink. God provided a solution in the form of a ‘piece of wood’ thrown into the water (v25) which made the water drinkable. It was just another lesson to the Israelites that instead of grumbling, they had to learn to trust that God would provide for them. He had a solution, an antidote to the bitterness.
Isn’t it interesting that the solution to the Israelites’ thirst was a tree. A tree that was already growing beside the bitter water.
In the gospels we read of how, unlike the Israelites, Jesus was willing to drink ‘the [bitter] cup’ (Luke 22:42). As we reflect, we see the connection. The antidote to our wilderness times has already been provided in the form of a tree – the cross on which our Lord and Saviour died; and we find our source of spiritual refreshment in Him.
I’ve recently been reading a fascinating book called ‘A Way Through the Wilderness’. In it the author describes how, during a time of personal struggle, he set out to retrace the steps taken by the Israelites during the Exodus. As he travelled, he learned from desert dwellers the ways of living in wilderness conditions.
Desert living was a metaphor for how he was feeling spiritually and eventually, by spending time in the wilderness, he found healing. He describes one of his key discoveries as realising that in our wilderness experiences, whether physical or spiritual, ‘the path [through] has been clearly marked by those who have gone before’ (p.10).
As I reflect on ‘wilderness’ times in my life, they have always ultimately been times of growth, times when I have learned to trust God more, even if sometimes, just like the Israelites, it has taken years to see them that way. When we are in the midst of the difficulties of life and maybe God feels a long way away, it can be hard to cling on to his promises, to remember that we don’t go through such times alone. The way through has been marked by Jesus and he travels with us. Our problem is that, like the Israelites, we are sometimes too busy grumbling about our circumstances to remember that God has already provided the antidote.
