Bible Study
Deacon Tomi Olatoke
Topic: From Marah to Elim
Text: Numbers 15:22-27

Life is a journey, which most of us know the beginning and not the end. God has thus provided us with resources on how to go on the journey. The life of an individual consists of events that are pertinent to human metamorphosis. We must all take steps to begin our journey. Life has different phases and challenges. We must overcome our challenges to get to the next level of our journey, we must allow the challenges to overcome us.  Our response to the different challenges determines the longevity of our journey as God has given us the power of choice.
Contrasts Between Marah and Elim
The children of Israel were faced by different challenges; wilderness (lack of water), Marah (Bitter Water) and Elim (Abundance).
There is bitterness in Marah and Peace in Elim. There is a singular source of water at Marah – Elim had twelve springs of water.
There are no shades or rest at Marah – Elim has 70 trees ( an abode of protection). It this imperative for us to take good decisions.
Marah is a place of bitter experience – God has to prove us that’s why he takes us through the place of bitterness.
1.Why Not Seek God? We get what we seek – who we seek determines what we get. God is the owner of every of our desires (Exodus15:24-25). We turn to God because, there are situation that are beyond the capacity of other humans. God grants us joy, while seeking man guarantees Happiness. We are thirsty for a lot of things (hunger for substances that will sustain us). We must learn to put our trust in God, we permit our challenges to overwhelm that we magnify the situations above God.
Requirements in Seeking God
Humility is a significant requirement to seek help from God (2Cor7:14).
We must Seek God in sincerity (1Thess5:5). This helps us to crave for God soberly from our hearts
We should also seek God passionately (Deut4:29).
A personal relationship is the most powerful means to seeking God – Making God your only resort (Ezra7:10, Hab2:1).
2.Surrounded by Opportunities with Blinded Eyes
Many a times the solution we seek is always in the problem (2Kings5:2-4). Naaman had encountered his solution but unknown to him. We allow the challenges blindfold us from the opportunities that lies around us. We can only solve a problem by staying at pedestal higher than the problem – which is at the level of God (2Kings4:1-7, Isaiah:1-6). We must seek God to find our through selves, which is a path to our solution. We are overwhelmed by challenges that we do not see our abilities.  We must shift our eyes away from physical capacity and  trust in Jesus, this guarantees us abundant blessing (Like5:4).
Seeking God molds us to be in consonance with God’s plan for our lives.
Prayers

1.Remove every veil that is stopping me from seeing solutions.
2.Father, as I seek u passionately and personally – let me find you.
3.Father, let me receive eternal joy as I seek you.
4.Father help me as I seek you in humility.