At the Red Sea, God made known His great power in delivering His people from Pharaoh and Egypt and placing them on new ground. He did this by taking them through "death" to new ground.

At the Red Sea the children of Israel understood again how completely God is for His people. God is a Savior-God and a deliverer, and He is always for His people. He not only spared His people on the night of the Passover, but He delivered them from all their enemies.

That day was a great day for Israel. Their hearts were filled with love and praise for their God.

What did they do? They sang! This is the first song recorded in the Bible, and it is all about what God has done.

Moses and the children of Israel sang this song:

Israel was not saved by what they did for God, but by what God did for them. And we are not saved by what we do for God, but by what God has done for us in the Person of His Son.

We have a triumphant Savior and He is for us. He has triumphed gloriously over Satan and all the powers of darkness. The Holy Spirit has come down from heaven to tell us that our victorious Savior is seated at the right hand of God, with all power in heaven and earth.

There are three things that are true of me if I know that my Savior has triumphed over my enemies:

I have a new joy and a new song in my heart.

The Bible says,

"He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God" (Psalm 40:3).

I am occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ.

What do I sing about? I sing about my triumphant Savior. "I will sing unto the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously." I may fail often, but I have a triumphant Savior.

I know that God is for me.

God showed how completely He is for me by giving His Son to die for me. The Bible says,

"If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Romans 8:31-32

Dear friend, do you know this great truth—that God is for you? Can you say, "Whatever happens, I know one thing for sure: God is for me!" God wants your heart fully settled in the knowledge and consciousness that He is for you.

God led Moses and His people Israel from the Red Sea into the wilderness. They went three days and found no water. Then they came to a place called Marah. There they found water, but they could not drink the waters of Marah because they were bitter.

The people murmured against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" Moses cried unto the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree. When Moses cast this tree into the waters, the waters were made sweet.

All things are not smooth and easy in the way in which God leads His people. The bitter waters of Marah were in the very path of God's leading for Israel.

What do these bitter waters represent? They represent the trials, disappointments, and suffering which we will all experience in the Christian life.

The apostle Paul was on the way to persecute God's believers when the Lord appeared to him. He was converted and was immediately told that he would suffer great things for Jesus' sake.

When Christ was here in the flesh, He faced "bitter waters" many times. He was rejected and hated by the very people He came to save. Even His disciples left Him when He was facing the cross.

How did Christ deal with the "bitter waters"? He accepted them as the Father's will for Him, even His death on the cross. He said, "The cup which My Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11)

How are we to deal with the "bitter waters" that come into our life? First, we must see if these "bitter waters" are the result of sin in our life. The way to deal with sin is to confess it to God, trusting in the precious blood of Christ to make us clean again in God's sight. The Bible says,

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

If we are assured in our heart that the "bitter waters" have come to us through no fault or failure on our part, we must cast the "tree" into the bitter waters. The "tree" is the cross. There was a cross for Christ, and there is a cross for us. Jesus said,

"Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Mark 8:34

What is our "cross"? Our cross is the will of God joyfully accepted. When we accept the trials, disappointments and suffering that come to us as the will of God, with an attitude of thanksgiving and praise, the bitter waters become sweet.

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