What is the wilderness
Why do we have to go into the wilderness
How do I navigate the wilderness
Why does God lead us to places where there is pain and discomfort.
What is the Wilderness
When we say the wilderness, I think of a desert, a place that one is not meant to reside in. The wilderness is a desolate place where our idols cannot find us because we are stripped down to have nothing but God. It is a place we are meant to go to, but eventually leave.
The Holy Spirit ushers us there so we are transformed and made new.
The wilderness is defined as; an uncultivated, uninhabitable and inhospitable region.
It is uncultivated because nothing is planted in it, it is a dry place. God takes you there because you are the seed that will allow something to grow from it through pruning and watering from God.
It is uninhabitable because it is a hard place. The hardship, pain and temptation we face when we are there are not ones we expect in our day to day Christian walk. It is a place where you do not set up camp but you do the work and leave.
As people, we are made up of many complex and individual experiences. Some good and some bad, all of which contribute to our worldview. It is bound to happen that we have a “hardness” in us.
This hardness develops into an area that has become uninhabitable for the Lord, the Holy Spirit and frankly for ourselves. The wilderness starves our idols, our defense mechanisms and areas where we are made of stone.
The Lord calls us into the wilderness. It is not a punishment nor is it a place we are called to because of our sin. We are called there because God is invested in our spiritual growth.
Why do I have to go into the wilderness
Do you believe health is obtained without practicing healthier habits?
The wilderness is important for our spiritual health because in the wilderness our current self is revealed and our new self is nurtured. It is in the place that is declared uninhabitable and God finds us to transform us.
”Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands.“ Deuteronomy 8:2 NLT
The core of our relationship with the Lord is to grow in love, reverence and to desire Him more than ourselves. This process is only possible with episodes of focused dedication, and the wilderness aids with that.
As seen in the verse above, the Lord called the Israelites into the wilderness to worship, through this worship He tested them and through these tests there was a production of humility and obedience.
”Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.“
Hebrews 5:8 NLT
Obedience is how we prove our love for God. Through suffering Jesus learnt obedience, through obedience Jesus learnt to love God more than Himself. I can understand if this concept makes us wonder what type of God we are worshipping who believes our love is proven through suffering.
My answer is, through Jesus’ suffering He proved His love for us, as well as His love for God through His obedience.
My question is: Do you trust and believe that God sees and is with you in your suffering?
”I took care of you in the wilderness, in that dry and thirsty land.“ Hosea 13:5 NLT
Meditate on this because the answer determines how we approach the wilderness and where God is during those times.
How to navigate the wilderness
You have to embrace the wilderness. You to have see that the heart of God for you in the wilderness is for your good. I believe God has something for us in the wilderness. It’s hard to embrace pain, but when we believe in the God we do, pain is not pointless.
Like the Israelites were told, they were called there to worship in the wilderness. So you must do that. Double down on worship, on prayer and on your Bible study. There is a reason for each wilderness experience, so ask God why He has called you there. I find usually for myself there is an idol I have built that God is trying to burn out of me. It can be social media, a tv show or a wandering mind.
I pray that the dislike for discomfort will not lead us to a place where we run out of the wilderness prematurely. The hardness of your circumstances is not proof of God's absense. The presence of pain is an opportunity for us to partner with God to navigate hardship.
I recommend holding on tightly to the character of God. The best way to get out of the wilderness with the right mind is remembering that God is good, He is kind and He is with us. So even in your pain, God has not ceased to think of you, love you or care for you.
Because He is inherently good.
So if today you are having a hard day, an anxious one or even a dark one. The Lord is with you, aiding and guiding you. Keep holding on because breakthrough and a better version of you is coming.
I love you all and thank you so much for reading!
Recommended songs for the Wilderness
Refiner- Maverick City Music, Chandler Moore, Steffany Gretzinger
Oceans(Where Feet May Fail)- Hillsong United, TAYA
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