They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. (Psalm 106:13-14)

The Bible tells us that when the waters of the sea closed upon the Egyptians, not one of Israel’s pursuers were left. It is written, “Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31). Seeing the dead Egyptians scattered on the seashore, the people began to shout and sing; the women broke out into dance and, with tambourines, sang praises unto God. One would think that having witnessed such an awesome display of God’s power, no one who saw such a thing would ever question His ability to deliver them again — one would think. 

The reality is that a mere three days later, some of the people began to doubt and complain because their fresh water supply was beginning to run out. The Bible records that they came to a place called Marah (“bitterness”) and discovered that the waters there were bitter and undrinkable. Granted, having water to drink is a necessity and all living things must have it to survive. I have to believe, though, that the Creator of all living things knows that better than anyone. Having witnessed His deliverance and provision on multiple occasions, did they really believe God had led them that far only to let them die of thirst? Apparently, enough of them did believe that, which is why this incident is noted by God Himself as one of the ten times that Israel tested Him and provoked Him to anger (Numbers 14:22).

I would like to think that had I witnessed the miracles they were privileged to observe, I would have restrained my tongue from saying anything that questioned God’s ability to provide. That said, I know there have been times when I have done just that. Even though I have been the beneficiary of His goodness and provision in times past, I have let other stressful situations cause me to be uncertain about whether He would deliver me again. I have no doubt that many of those reading this have done the same.

Why do we do that? If He will open a sea and provide a dry path that carries us from bondage into freedom, can He not do something as simple as providing water when we are thirsty? If He will provide His Son as the eternal sacrifice for my transgressions and grant eternal life, can He not sustain me, day to day, in this life? Yeshua said, “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). And as was said to Him in response, I also say, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill