Mara

 Right after God parted the Red Sea for Israel to escape Egyptian bondage, they ended up in the desert at a place called Mara. They called the place Mara because the water they found there was too bitter to drink. They were tested again and again after leaving Egypt. Many times they were tempted to turn back. Mara was one of those tests. 

Some of you are facing your own Mara. You are in bitter circumstances. We often complain in our Mara. We question why God brought us to such trying times. Remember in the Exodus account, God led Israel with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. God led them to Mara. He knew they would complain. He also knew He would do a miracle to provide clean water in Mara to demonstrate His power. 

You would think those Israelites would be as high as a kite after the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. Just like us they were prone to forget what God did in the past in light of present challenges. Have you forgotten the ways God has come through in the past? Perhaps a trip down memory lane would do some good to bolster sagging faith. 

None of us like to be in Mara. Mara is an unpleasant place. We question God why. He is not obligated to explain Himself or His ways to anyone. He does not answer to us. What He does require of us is that we trust Him. No matter how bitter our present situation. 

Brenda and I have endured our share of Maras. Our first church declined in attendance to the point I had to voluntarily take several cuts in a very meager salary to start with in the first place. I moved our evening services outside because we could not afford to run the air conditioning all day on Sundays though I never told anyone  why we met outside. No amount of prayer changed the circumstances. Nothing I preached or taught. No events we planned brought new people. It was a very bitter time. 

The next church started off with great excitement. After four years, people left and opted for larger churches with more to offer. We lost our salary in that church. We lived off what little offerings the few who attended gave. It was a Mara time. Our faith was severely tested. God provided. We lived below the official poverty level, but God provided. 

God blessed our next church. It quadrupled in attendance in four years. We had plans to relocate because we did not have room for all the people. God provided ten acres with no debt for us to move the church and we began raising money. We loved our time there. Then God made us leave. I use the word made because to stay would have been an open act of rebellion. I wept like a baby in the pulpit on my last Sunday. It felt like pulling flesh from bones to leave those people. I would not have done so unless God had clearly called us to a different church in west Texas. 

Our next church experienced the power of God in ways we had never seen before. God doubled the size of the church and sent a real revival to us. It was one of the sweetest times of our whole ministry. I worked with a dream team of a staff. The congregation loved us and compensated us generously. I began feeling like God wanted me to give it all up for the grand adventure of planting a church after only two years. People counseled me not to do it. I did not listen. Some thought we had been wronged in some way, and that was why we were leaving. Brenda did not have a peace about leaving, but I was so determined she trusted me and followed my lead. One of my biggest regrets I've carried with me for over a decade was leaving those wonderful people. They are a wonderful church. We experienced Mara again when the church plant failed leaving us hurting and confused. 

We went back to a church where we served in youth ministry to pastor next. We dealt with the Mara of Covid and a church crisis that rocked all our worlds. An unsolicited email from a a search committee, a phone interview, a lot of prayer and a clear call from God and we moved again. We are now in the Texas Panhandle adjusting to a new flock, a new community, and a new home. In the process of transitioning, we experienced the Mara of Brenda's mother dying. A Mara Brenda and her two sisters are still battling. 

In every Mara, God has been faithful to the Edwards family. Even in my foolishness, my sinful choices and behavior, my doubts, battles with depression, financial crisis, through every Mara God came through. That is my hope for all of you. God has demonstrated over and over again the right to be trusted. Hang on even when you do not understand. Keep believing even when the pain is crippling and the questions go unanswered. Keep the faith when Mara slaps you in the face leaving the pain of bitterness, sorrow, confusion, and brokenness. Don't give up on God. 

Right after Mara God led Israel to Elim. A place of abundance and refreshing. You may be in Mara today, but your Elim could be just around the corner. You can read this account in [Ex 15:22-27]