In the past few weeks, I have been thinking and reflecting on the wilderness seasons of life. Times of personal struggle, aridity, dryness and desolation. These are hard times that lead to lament. Miller in his book has suggested that Lament is “a voice of pain and a voice of prayer”. At the heart of lament in Scripture is a distinctive conjoining of question and trust, of protest and acceptance, of fear and confidence. This may happen when we are going through the wilderness season.
These wilderness moments and experiences are marked with hard times, times of great trial, times of extreme temptations and tests. For those who must endure these wilderness times, it is as if everything in their lives is on the line. Their life, their faith, their trust and their belief in God, seemingly is hanging in a balance.
One of the worst times in the lives of the Hebrew people was the journey out of Egyptian slavery to the freedom of the Promised Land. In Exodus 13:17 we are told that God did not lead them through the land of the Philistines which was the shortest route, for fear they would end up in a battle. Rather, they were led by God through the wilderness. Here is a lesson, that sometimes the only route to get to where God wants you to be, may be through a wilderness route. It may not be the best route from the human perspective but necessary for your sharping and growing in the likeness of Christ.
Most of us can testify and witness that there is no fun, very little joy and jubilation going through the slums of a wilderness moment. Because it is a hard place; that might involve pain, discouragement, fear, loneliness and dryness. I do not know where you are now in your life journey. It might be you are experiencing the wilderness moment in one way or the other in this season. My prayer for you is that you may find strength and encouragement in the Lord as you journey through.
In my reflection on the wilderness seasons, I came to three conclusions:
- Firstly, the wilderness is the place where we are to learn new things about ourselves and God.
- Secondly, by stripping away from the external noise and our usual supports, the wilderness exposes us to what is going on inside us.
- Thirdly, by taking us out of our comfort zone, the wilderness exposes our dependence on God and allows us to meet Him in a new way.
May you make your wilderness experience a place of springs as you go from strength to strength because of your trust and confidence in Jesus Christ.
Every blessing,
Patches