Water in the Wilderness: Trusting God in Hard Times (Exodus 15:22–27; 17:1–7)
Have you ever felt like you were doing your best, only to run into a problem that made you want to give up? That’s exactly what the people of Israel faced after God brought them out of Egypt. Even though they had just seen Him part the Red Sea, they still had to learn how to trust Him — especially when things got tough.
Bitter Water Made Sweet (Exodus 15:22–27)
After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites traveled for three days through the desert. It was hot, dry, and exhausting. Finally, they found water at a place called Marah — but there was a problem. The water was too bitter to drink.
Tired and thirsty, the people began to complain to Moses. “What are we supposed to drink?” they asked. Instead of getting angry, Moses prayed to God. And God answered.
God showed Moses a piece of wood and told him to throw it into the water. When he did, the water became sweet and drinkable. It was a miracle! God then gave them a promise: if they listened to Him and followed His ways, He would take care of them.
Soon after, they came to a place called Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. It was like a little oasis in the desert — a place to rest and be refreshed.
Water from the Rock (Exodus 17:1–7)
Later, the Israelites moved to another place in the desert, and once again, there was no water. The people started complaining again, arguing with Moses. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die of thirst?” they shouted.
Moses was overwhelmed and prayed to God for help. God told him to take his staff — the same one he used to part the Red Sea — and go to a specific rock at a place called Horeb. There, Moses was to strike the rock, and water would come out of it.
Moses obeyed, and sure enough, water flowed from the rock, enough for everyone to drink. He named the place Massah (which means “testing”) and Meribah (which means “quarreling”), because the people had tested God and argued with Him.
What Can We Learn from This?
These stories teach us a few important lessons:
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God Provides: Even when we don’t see a solution, God already knows how to take care of us. He provided water in the middle of the desert — twice!
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Complaining Doesn’t Help: The Israelites forgot how God had helped them before. When we grumble, we often miss what God is doing for us right now.
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Faith Grows in Hard Times: Sometimes, God allows challenges so that we can learn to trust Him more deeply.
Final Thoughts
God didn’t bring the Israelites out of Egypt just to abandon them in the desert. And He doesn’t leave us alone in our hard times either. He is still the same God who provides water in dry places, who listens when we pray, and who leads us to places of rest.
Reflection:
Is there a “desert” in your life right now — a time when you feel stuck, tired, or unsure what to do? Remember, God sees you. He’s not done working. Trust that He can bring water from a rock.
Exodus 15:22-27; 17:1-7 (WEB)
15:22 Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink from the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore its name was called Marah. 24 The people murmured against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 Then he cried to the LORD. The LORD showed him a tree, and he threw it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, “If you will diligently listen to the LORD your God’s voice, and will do that which is right in his eyes, and will pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you.”27 They came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They encamped there by the waters.15:1 All the congregation of the children of Israel traveled from the wilderness of Sin, starting according to the LORD’s commandment, and encamped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.”Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?”3 The people were thirsty for water there; so the people murmured against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”4 Moses cried to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”5 The LORD said to Moses, “Walk on before the people, and take the elders of Israel with you, and take the rod in your hand with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb. You shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us, or not?”