Walking through the Wilderness
And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear!
Exodus 7:16 NKJV
We have heard so many different accounts in God’s Word about the Wilderness.
Jesus Himself went into the wilderness.
He went to battle the Temptations of the devil. 40 Days 40 Nights.
No physical food to nourish His body. No water to hydrate His bones.
But I believe there were two very important reasons for the Lord to have to give through this.
1. To have the ability to relate to us in our temptations.
2. To be in the center of Will of the Father
Are we truly seeking the will of the Father?
This is a very hard thing to ask.
What does that even mean?
Does being in the middle of God’s Holy will bring joy?
Will it bring some type of fulfillment to our lives that maybe we had been searching for?
Or can being in God’s will bring discouragement, disappointment and hardship to our life?
We say things like seek first the Kingdom of God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
Great reminders of what the Lord provides.
But in the dryness of the wilderness where no other provision is given, can you still proclaim that His ways are far better yours?
What about the children of Israel? God called Moses to bring them out of Egypt and into the center of His will.
The center of His will for them would eventually be the Promised Land in Canaan. They would be led out of an environment that they were used to. A place that even under tyrannical rule they were still accustomed to.
Moses was going to lead that from this place and put them in the center of God’s Holy will.
They would be transferred into the great and terrible wilderness.
Imagine these people walking into a land that they did not know. A place they had never been.
Now facing new and different struggles.
Feeling hardships that they never had to be concerned about before!
Think about how many times they came to Moses with questions.
Why!
Why are we here?
This can’t be the will of God.
We cry out the same things today.
Why this struggle and hardship.
Why this sickness, disease and diagnosis!
Being led into the wilderness can be a place of problems. At the very same time it can be a place of purpose.
God’s purpose!
Sometimes we never can understand why the Lord leads us into such desolate places.
Places where bones become dry. Weakness over our whole being is evident. Even a mental or emotional state of worry, doubt or even depression can settle in.
This can’t be the will of God, can it?
Don’t be too quick to give Satan the credit for any of this!
Sometimes the Desolation of the Wilderness is there for the Lord to do a work in us!
From God’s perspective, it is His perfect plan for our lives.
Moses was commanded by the Lord to lead the people from Egypt.
He was to confront Pharaoh and give him the command from God!
“Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness”
We have been called to serve the Lord in all aspects of life!
In the joy and the pain. In the Palace and in the wilderness!
This wilderness from our perspective makes no sense. We may feel left out or left behind. Forgotten with no purpose or worth.
We will start questioning God’s love for us. Maybe His faithfulness. His wisdom, even His intent for our lives.
We will start to wrestle with even our own purpose for the Kingdom of God, sometimes even our Salvation!
Sometimes we don’t even get that far. What about what’s happening right now!
There is something special and amazing about no-man’s land, God is still there!
If you seek Him you will find Him.
God will reveal Himself to you. In the darkness of the shadows of death, He is the Light!
In all the confusion of being lost, He will be your guide. Jesus will always set you on the right path.
There is often chaos that storms around us. Allow the Spirit of God comfort you.
One of the reasons God took His people out of Egypt was to separate them from what was separating them from Himself!
The influence around us can change our faith. It can cause us to swerve away from His Perfect commands He has for us.
Sometimes separation is necessary. It gets us out of the comfort of our lives. If we allow it, it will strengthen our faith and dependency on Him. It is a matter of coming to trust Him as your provider.
The Wilderness is lonely.
Isolation can be devastating to our souls.
We are creatures that require the touch of comfort. Jesus will let Himself be known and His presence felt.
This is when the promises He gave become relevant in our situation.
“I will not leave you”!
“I will not forsake you”!
“I will be with you”!
There are great influences of the world.
Even people and situations we have learned and come to depend on. But God will be faithful to you in whatever wilderness you are facing, just as He was to the people He led out of Egypt.
Today let the wilderness of life sway and separate you from what is causing us to be separated from The Lord!
See that even in desolation He is with us!
This Psalm is usually read at funerals.
But this is a Psalm for the living! The ones that have been in the dry, hard places. The ones thatvsuffer through the droughts of isolation, abandonment. Physical and emotional pain. It’s for those that suffer mental struggle and torment.
This is for the ones that a Spiritually depleated and need to be reminded of the God they serve! The place of comfort and refuge!
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalms 23:1-4 NKJV
Let the exit from Egypt into the wilderness bring you even that much closer on the dependency of the Father! Cling to Him in desperation with faith and hope! Then rest in the comfort of His promises of His rod and staff!
Pastor Ed