Knowing this, you can begin to see the Lord in the midst of every situation and concern in your life. When you learn to bring Him into the picture, He makes everything beautiful.
I’m sure your life hasn’t been perfect. The scars of yesterday may still be throbbing in your memory. Perhaps you were sexually abused as a child or emotionally hurt by someone you trusted.
As you look back now, you may still feel angry, frustrated and disappointed all at the same time, and the hurt may still pierce your heart. But in the midst of your pain, I want to challenge you to start involving Jesus. See the Lord holding you, gently healing your wounds. Jesus is right there restoring you, putting courage into your heart and taking away all sense of shame and guilt.
Beloved, He wants you to know that your past will not determine the future that He has for you. Once you involve the Lord and put Him into your bitter waters, He will turn the bitterness into sweetness.
That is what the Lord did for the children of Israel. When they came to a place called Marah, they could not drink its waters because they were bitter. Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree, which Moses cast into the waters. When he did that, the Bible says that “the waters were made sweet” (Ex. 15:25).
Why did the foul-tasting, undrinkable waters become refreshing and sweet? The answer lies in the tree that was cast into them. The tree is a picture of the cross on which our Lord Jesus hung, bearing every broken heart and every sting of betrayal. When you bring Jesus into your situation, He can cause every bitter experience to become sweet! Cast your cares on Him and allow His presence to restore you today!
About the author: Joseph Prince is the senior pastor of New Creation Church (newcreation.org.sg), a vibrant, dynamic and fast-growing church in Singapore, which has a congregation of more than 19,000 members. He separately heads Joseph Prince Ministries, Inc. (josephprince.org), an international, non-profit organization that seeks to build, encourage and inspire people with the gospel of Jesus Christ through television broadcasting as well as new media technology. Prince is the author of several books, including his most recent, Unmerited Favor (Charisma House), from which this message is adapted. For information about resources by Joseph Prince, log on to destined2reign.com.
Stephen Strang 
Charisma Media Staff 
Charisma Staff