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From Marah to Elim and on to the Miraculous
Numbers 33:9-10
"And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they pitched there. And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea."
The greatest shortages in life are often followed by the greatest blessings and miracles. However, many people fall short of the blessings and the miracles because they quit in the area where the shortages have come.
The children of Israel nearly missed one of the greatest miracles they would see because of their murmuring. One of the first stops after they left the land of Egypt was a place called Marah. Marah was a place where the water was so bitter that they could not drink it. The Scriptures teach us that the children of Israel began to murmur, and even said that they wished they had stayed in Egypt. Yet, the very next stop after Marah was a place called Elim. In Elim they found twelve fountains of water from which they could drink. The amazing thing about this is that Elim was only five miles from Marah. In other words, less than a days journey was the blessing of water that they complained for in Marah.
However, I want you to notice that right after Elim they journeyed to the great Red Sea. It was at the Red Sea where they saw God part the waters and were forever separated from those who had kept them captive for four hundred years. Imagine if they would had gone back to Egypt like they wanted in Marah, they would have never seen one of the greatest miracles of history. If they would had gone back to Egypt like they desired, many people who were helped by the Red Sea experience would have missed that help because they stopped short in Marah. Because they went forward and did not stop in their murmuring ways, they experienced a place of blessing and went on to the miraculous.
Christian, you must never stop in the Marah of your life. Though life's hardships may try to cause you to complain, you must realize that there is an Elim just down the road. It is a choice that you can make. You can either complain about the shortages and hardships you have in life, or you can continue on and have the place of refreshment where God strengthens your soul. However, if you stop in the Marah of your life, you will never have a Red Sea experience. Many people have missed the greatest miracles of their lives because they stopped in their Marah.
I ask you, how much are you missing because of your murmuring spirit? Has your murmuring and complaining caused you to stop and miss the Elim and the Red Sea of your life? If you will keep on going through the shortages and hardships of your life, you will find that not far down the road is an Elim and a Red Sea. Don't let your shortages and hardships keep you from seeing the blessings and miracles that God has for you. They are there, but you will never see them if you stop in your Marah.