Whenever I used to hear about wilderness seasons, I actually imagined being in a forest, enveloped by that strange silence of being in the middle of nowhere and having fresh air tinged with the smell of earth, and trees, but still clean; no compass, no sense of direction -- just trying to find one’s way. I think that imagery is far more romantic than the actual experience.
I recently saw a meme that said “God’s ways are not our ways” and it highlighted how Abraham was named the father of many nations, yet his ‘starter package’ was barrenness. Joseph was born to rule in a foreign nation as Prime Minister, his mother, father, and brothers bowing to him, but his starter package was being sold into slavery and falsely accused of rape and imprisoned.
And it made me chuckle, but why is that the case? How do you call a man full of fear, and hiding from his enemies a ‘mighty man of valor?’ How is the saviour of the world born in a manger, and forced to flee to a foreign land for fear of execution, and then later on executed alongside common thieves?
I was telling my friend that God takes us through paths that don’t make sense, and after you’ve done what you can do, all that is often left is to trust Him and persevere until you come out of it. There’s no 3-step, 4 - step, 10- step solution to ease the discomfort. The one who is taking you through this discomfort is the only one from whom you can find comfort. I struggled with that at one point.
But how did the Father of Faith, and Joseph, and David, and all these people to whom God spoke get through the wilderness season? They had the word they had received. That’s it. And somehow, they were assured about the God who had given them that word, and it allowed them to persevere through extraordinary hardship, loneliness, delays, betrayals, etc.
So how do you get through it?
Even with testimonies of His faithfulness, I still find myself stumbling, striving to be like the patriarchs of old, but it’s a work in progress. I’m beginning to appreciate the word as more than just comfort in hard times, but also a promise, an assurance, as something tangible that I can hold on to. The word of our testimony is also powerful to overcoming doubts about new challenges. We must always remember what Jesus has helped us through. Sometimes it's by that testimony that gets you back on track.
Guard your heart above all else. Our hearts need to be the good ground upon which the word of God can be sown, and bear fruit. If our hearts are stony, or thorny, you’ll forever be wrestling with the seed of the word, and it’ll never fully take root. Our reason can locate other sources of solutions, but the Word contains miracles that reasonable alternatives cannot recreate.
But you have to make a decision about the word. It’s either you’ll believe it, and take all that comes with it, or you chart your own path and hope for the best. And all that comes with it will not always be pleasant, but if you persevere to the end, you'll win your crown of life -- you'll get your inheritance. So, no, wilderness experiences are not glamorous. But the perseverance of others, and the consistency in their faith offers us hope for those hard seasons. And through it all, God promises that "in his love and in his pity, he'll redeem us and carry us" through all life challenges.
Have you ever felt like your starter package was the opposite of your promise? How did you traverse through it?
