I recall as a youngster making Kool-Aid from those little packets. My curiosity sometimes got the best of me, and I would either lick a little of the packet powder or taste a small glass of water mixed with only the packet contents. The result? Not a good taste!!! But, after adding some (or a lot depending on the desired sweetness level) sugar, suddenly the drink was transformed into something quite delicious!

I considered this as I prayed over this text and thought about the times and seasons in life which often seem to hold more bitterness than sweetness. It is easy in those periods to permit bitterness to take over, just as the people of Moses’ day did in Exodus 15. The question before us this week is what we are to do in those times, and how can the bitter be made sweet?