The wilderness is difficult.
When you’re in a wilderness season, it’s hard to know what to focus on or what to do. It often seems like every day is filled with just doing what you can in order to survive, striving to barely make it through. The children of Israel felt this same way when they were leaving Egypt. Even though they had been set free from slavery, things became difficult when they found themselves in the middle of the wilderness. They even started wishing they could go back to slavery, just to escape this new, unfamiliar place!
The tragic thing is, although their journey through the wilderness was only an eleven day walk, they spent fourty years going around in circles. What a powerful and sobering image this paints – an entire generation wasted, wandering in the wilderness. The reason for this waste was that they were not yet ready for the great destiny that God had put before them.
You see, the Israelites were used to being slaves, and they were not prepared for the fight that they would have to endure in order to capture their Promised Land. If God had lead them into battle as they were, they would have all died.
It was actually in God’s mercy for the people that they were kept from their promised land!
Often times we think the wilderness is God’s anger against us, but it is very often His mercy keeping us from what we are not yet ready to face. In His goodness, He is Lovingly trying to prepare us for that encounter. In this lost generation, the hearts of God’s chosen people were still fearful, and their minds were used to consoling themselves in self pity with fleshly desires like food and parties.
As slaves, they lived in hardship. They obeyed orders from harsh task-masters every day, and at night they went home and consoled themselves by complaining, feeling sorry for themselves, and eating. The problem was, even now that they were free and they found themselves offered a fresh start, they were still prisoners in their own minds. Day after day, they would hopelessly bandage their old wounds in self-pity, instead of allowing God to heal them and give them a new life. In other words, they become comfortable with their discomfort.
The Four Keys
When you find yourself in a wilderness season, it’s important to know where to focus. By knowing this, the season will do its work and build up your strength for the fight for your own Promised Lands.
Before knowing where to focus, you also need to know where not to focus.
When you’re in the wilderness, your focus should not be placed on building up your wealth or building a permanent home where you are.
In other words, don’t try to create your promised land in the desert that you’re in, and don’t try to wander away from the Cloud of God’s leading in effort to find the promise for yourself, somewhere else. God has you where He needs you. You just need to know what to do while you’re here.
Also, it helps to understand the purpose
The wilderness is a time for the dream of the promise that God put in your heart to take root. It is also a time for testing.
The wilderness is about four things: Trust, Obedience, Discipline, and Attitude.
►Trust
Trust God. When there is only food enough for today and none for tomorrow, we Trust Him.
►Obedience
Obey God. When He says move, we move.
►Discipline
Discipline your flesh. When your flesh longs for the delicious and exciting things you had before and the daily bread God is giving you seems bland and unexciting, we accept what we’re given with gratitude.
►Attitude
In all circumstances, learn to maintain the Joy of the Lord. This does not mean never feeling sorrow, but it does mean never letting feeling sorrow from a situation to turn in to feeling sorry for yourself.
If you take the first letters of each of these four pillars, it spells TODA, which is the Hebrew word for “Thanks” (תודה).
Thankfulness is Rising Praise
When your soul learns to reflect all four Keys in all situations, this spirit of Thanks rises up to God, and it shows Him that you’ve received the spirit of the Humbled Warrior. It shows that you are ready for the fight for the Promise that was given to you by God!
Psalm 136 begins by saying,
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!”
It goes on to tell the story of the deliverance of the Children of Israel from their enemies. It tells of how they moved from slavery, through the wilderness, and into the land of their Inheritance. Yet in between every line of the story, whether it was in as time of hardship or victory, it pauses to say one thing over and over again, “His Love endures forever.”
This shows that at every step of the journey, God’s Love was with them, and it was working for them. And so He is for you in your own wilderness season!
This beautiful Psalm has a fitting end, which is:
“He remembered us in our low estate, and freed us from our enemies, He gives food to every creature. Give thanks to the God of heaven. His Love endures forever.”
Not only did they gain freedom, but even the tasty food and exciting experiences they were craving were waiting on the other side or their test.
Beloved ones – remember that He Loves you and is with you, and don’t try to escape your wilderness. Remember that in the midst of your trials, at every point, His Love is for you. Master the test. Your promised land awaits, just beyond the limits of yourself.
Key Point
Even in their state of imperfection, God had invited the Israelites into the cloud of His Glory. They said no to God, asking for a set of rules, instead. They knew how to be slaves; however, they didn’t know how to be sons. God is inviting you, today, into His Presence. When you accept Him into your heart, you’re no longer a slave. He wants you to become a son or a daughter. I encourage you to accept His invitation today. Whether you’re in the wilderness or not, ask Him to show you His presence. I promise if you do, He will guide you the rest of your life!
Recommended Reading: Psalm 136 & Exodus