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Bitter Water, Empty Stomachs, and a Faithful God
June 08, 2025 · 35 min

This sermon, Lessons from the Wilderness: Bitter Water, Empty Stomachs, and a Faithful God, highlights that while God leads us out of Egypt, He often guides us through the wilderness to shape our hearts. The wilderness journey is not just about leaving behind the past but about discovering who we truly are and who God truly is. At the Waters of Marah (Exodus 15:22–27), bitter water mirrored the bitterness in the hearts of the people—testing didn’t change them; it revealed them. In the wilderness of Sin (Exodus 16:1–36), their complaining exposed a deeper issue: trust in God’s provision. The grumbling showed that the Red Sea was behind them, but fear still lived inside them. Even after God’s miracles, they chose doubt over dependence. Yet at Rephidim (Exodus 17:1–7), when the people cried out in thirst and anger, God’s faithfulness shone through. He provided water from the rock, not as a reward for their faithfulness but as a revelation of His own unchanging nature. The wilderness isn’t just about survival; it’s about transformation. Through every test, God’s provision revealed His faithfulness, patience, and presence—even when His people were faithless. This wilderness journey shapes us, teaching us that God is faithful because of who He is, not because of who we are.