Why the Wilderness?

           

           As a Christian, I often tend to think that everything should be easy.  I somehow believe that God should pave my life’s path in gold and remove any little thing that could possible stand in my way or cause me to stumble.  However, that isn’t how life works.  There are times when things seem to go well and there are times when nothing is working.  Some people seem to struggle more than others.  I also know people who never appear to struggle and it seems like everything they touch turns to gold.  However, we all have challenges in this life.  The older I get, the more I realize that no one has the perfect life.  The more I have gotten to know the people with a “Midas touch”, the more I have seen the real side of them.  Anyone can appear from a distance to have it all figured out.  It’s when you get a little closer that you can see the real struggles underneath.

So many people believe that Christians should have everything figured out.  I’ve even heard people say, on many occasions, that they don’t want to go to church because it’s just full of a bunch of hypocrites.  Well, I have some news for those people; yes, it is full of hypocrites.  I’m one of them.  None of us have it figured out.  We all struggle in some area of our lives.  Just like a hospital is not necessary if no one is ever sick, there would be no need for the church if we were all perfect.  There would also be no need for Jesus if we already had this faith thing figured out.  However, we all still have not arrived.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. Last time I checked, all means every single person. 

Some of my biggest moments of spiritual growth have occurred during times of frustration.  It’s during moments of feeling like I am wandering in the wilderness like the Israelites, that I finally get to where I can depend fully on God.  Why is that?  Why does it take a “wilderness” time in our lives to get us to turn to God, or turn back to God? 

There are so many examples of God meeting with people in the wilderness throughout scripture.  The most famous is probably in the book of Exodus when Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness.  However, God met with so many others when he was able to get them alone in a “wilderness”.  For example, David wrote so many of his most heartfelt Psalms when he was in the wilderness tending to his sheep or even when he was running for his life from King Saul.  Before leading the Israelites out of Egypt, God met with Moses in the wilderness in the form of a burning bush as he was tending his father-in-law’s sheep.  Abraham had an encounter with God in the wilderness when he took Isaac up to sacrifice.  Joseph had a long wilderness phase when he was sold into slavery by his own family, falsely accused of rape, and thrown in prison.  Even Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being constantly bombarded by temptations and attacks of Satan.  No one is immune to wilderness times.

Sometimes, getting alone with God is exactly what we need.  We need to get away from distractions to focus on what it is God has for us. You have a choice in the wilderness.  You can run to God or you can get mad at God, blame Him for your frustrations, and run from God.  However, you will never truly experience God’s blessings and promotions in your lives if you turn tail and run when you are in the wilderness.  Every one of the examples I gave of men in the Bible who experience times of frustration also experienced tremendous blessings on the other side of their wilderness.  The character that was built during those wilderness times, served them for the rest of their lives.  I, for one don’t want to miss out on that.  I have had a few “wilderness” phases of my own life and I have decided to run to, rather than from God during those times. 

One of the most comforting verses for me during trying times is James 1:2-4.  “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  We can take joy during our trials knowing that even as we go through hard times they are preparing us for what God has in store for us.  I don’t want to miss out on the blessings on the other side of the trials.  I want to develop that maturity the verse speaks of.  I want to understand more about God today than I did yesterday.  I want to react better to a frustrating person now than I did a year ago.  I want people that I may have hurt to see a sincere heart for God rather than simply a hypocritical person.  I definitely want to be further along in my relationship with God five years from now than I am today.  I sincerely hope that if you are walking in the wilderness right now, you will grab your Bible (or your Bible app on your phone) and press in to the Word.  Turn off your television, radio, or whatever else you are allowing to distract you and simply pray that God would encourage you through your frustrations.  Press in and look up, rather than give in and give up.