The wilderness can sometimes be a dark place. Especially when you’re right smack dab in the middle. It’s hard to tell which direction to go. You look up and a canopy of tree branches obstructs your view of the sky above. You feel lost even though you pretty much know where you are. Much of the time in the wilderness is spent focused strictly on survival. Just doing what you can to get through each day.
At times, the darkness can be crippling. Hope is lost. Despair sets in. Then, just as quickly, faith grips your heart and God’s promises to those who persevere motivates you to keep going strong. Find a way out. Or at the very least, hold your head high as you navigate through the badlands.
As I make my way out of the wilderness that has held me captive for nearly 3 years, I look for answers. Here’s why:
Remember the story about how God saved the Israelites from 400 years of slavery in Egypt and then kept them in the wilderness for 40 years on the way to the Promised Land? Gosh, that’s a really long time! The land of milk and honey must have been a really, REALLY long way away! But look at this…
See the beginning dot in Egypt and the ending dot in Canaan? Now notice the route God sent them on, compared to their journey had they just followed along the Mediterranean Sea. Talk about going the long way. Why would God do that?
There are a couple of reasons, one being that the Plain of Phillistia was inhabited by the Phillistines who were well known for their vast army and brutal fighting abilities. Not exactly something a bunch of unarmed, skinny laborers could ward off.
I wonder how many times God leads us through the wilderness to protect us from something far worse? We don’t know about the impending danger. We don’t thank Him for His protection. We only complain about being in the wilderness.
Secondly, God needed to teach them a few things. Over the course of 40 years He performed many miracles involving food, water and nature itself. The Israelites could not deny His power in their life or the love of His people.
The last time you were in the wilderness, did you notice how much God loved you? Did you thank Him for the small ways He was taking care of you? Or did the darkness consume you in such a way that you missed it?
And thirdly, God wanted to draw them close to Himself. He wanted to take them to a place where they were totally dependent on Him, so they would talk to Him and worship Him and love Him. And isn’t that what He wants from all of us?
So as I come into the light, I seek to find out why God put me there. What did He want me to learn from my experience? How can I use it to best serve Him? The past few years were rough on my family, and I can think of no bigger waste of time, than if I was to just move on with life, not growing and maturing though the process.
Thanks be to God!
(photo above courtesy of “One in a Million” by Priscilla Shirer)
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