Life is full of choices like a “choose your own adventure” story. The Bible begins with a fundamental question: Who or what is your most high?

In this tenth message, we follow Israel into the wilderness after the Red Sea. At Marah, they find bitter water, a test revealing what lives in their hearts when life turns hard. God leads them from singing to suffering, not to harm them but to form them. This hardship exposes their reflex to grumble rather than trust.

Their story teaches us that all tests are tools God uses to grow His people. He leads Israel to Marah before Elim because the journey matters as much as the destination. God is trustworthy at a bitter puddle as at a split sea. He invites them to choose growth over grumbling, trust over panic, and satisfaction in Him over instant gratification.

In this wilderness classroom, God reveals Himself as Jehovah Rapha, the One who heals and transforms His people. Israel must learn that the journey to the promised land is not simply about changing location but about being changed. Hardship becomes the place where God trains courage, strengthens loyalty, deepens trust, and calls us toward the freedom of faith.