Then Moses led Israel on from the Red Sea, and they went out to the Wilderness of Shur. They journeyed for three days in the wilderness without finding water. They came to Marah, but they could not drink the water at Marah because it was bitter—that is why it was named Marah. The people grumbled to Moses, “What are we going to drink?” So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he threw it into the water, the water became drinkable. The LORD made a statute and ordinance for them at Marah, and he tested them there. He said, “If you will carefully obey the LORD your God, do what is right in his sight, pay attention to his commands, and keep all his statutes, I will not inflict any illnesses on you that I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy date palms, and they camped there by the water. The entire Israelite community departed from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt. The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!” Then the LORD said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” (Exodus 15:22-16:5)

Rescue doesn’t mean the end to struggle…it will include bitter moments!

God rescued you from something for something!

LET GO OF EGYPT

You can’t step into God’s new future for you if you’re still flirting with your old life!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

Every mature Jesus-follower spends time in the wilderness!

“…You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33)

FILL UP ON DAILY BREAD

“I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again…” (John 6:35)

BREAK UP…TAKE A STEP…FILL UP

Reflection Question: What has Jesus rescued you from? What’s something from your old life you need to let go of?