Devotionals

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A Necessary Journey

It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.
Deuteronomy 1:2

The Israelites needed to pass through the wilderness to enter the promised land. This was a necessary journey that they had to go through. But the length of time that they took to do this was the problem. The Israelites should have entered the Promised land in about eleven days – not wondered round and round in circles while an entire generation died. But they refused to enter the land that they had been promised. They were afraid, they didn't trust God enough to face the battles to enter the land and they grumbled...non stop. So for a whole generation, the Israelites wandered, aimlessly, in the wilderness. The wilderness was an important part of their journey, but the amount of time that the Israelites spent there was not necessary.

There is nothing more frustrating than meeting an older Christian who has never achieved what they could have in Christ. They have spent their entire lives, like the Israelites, wandering round in circles, moaning, groaning and saying 'remember when'. They have entered the wilderness, but never come to the place, where they could trust God enough to enter the promises that He has for them. When God leads us into the wilderness, there will always be a lesson to be learned and then a testing of our faith at the end. The Israelites still faced a battle - the battle for Canaan did not go away – it just took them a whole generation to trust God enough to claim what He had promised them.

The wilderness is a wasteland, a wild and uncultivated region, set aside from human activity. It is a desolate place, often with little or no signs of life. Water and food can be scarce. It is not a great place to be. In our own lives, when I refer to times of wilderness, I am talking about times when we feel dry spiritually. We can read the bible and pray but not feel like we are learning anything from it, or hearing from God directly for our lives. We can feel isolated, both from God and from other Christians. It feels like our prayers are not being answered. We can feel like we're 'stuck in a rut.' We can even question God's very existence.

However, God does some of His most important work when we're 'feeling' in the wilderness. There are many reasons that God can draw (yes, He draws us) into the wilderness. In fact, tomorrow, we will look at how He even allures us into the wilderness. It's a place that He can get us away from distraction and allow us to get to know Him in a more intimate way. The wilderness is also a place of miracles. It is a place to give us a distinction between the past and the future - a cut off point from the past. We don't want to become 'remember when' people, instead we want to be 'look what the Lord's about to do' people. The wilderness gives you a physical break before a new challenge and it strengthens your faith, even though it may feel like it is almost extinguishing it.

We will spend the next few days taking a look at the Biblical and practical references for the importance of the wilderness. Yes, you may feel like you are in it right now and you probably are! However, don't let the work that God may just want to take a few weeks doing in your life take a few years. Let's discover what God wants to uncover and then let's move on into the will of God.

Prayer:
Thank you that although I feel alone and sometimes abandoned, that you are never far. You are leading me through the wilderness, not leaving me in it. Comfort me in this time, I pray, and strengthen me so that I may do the will that you have planned for me. In Jesus name, Amen.

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