Feb 8, 2011
Don’t Waste Your Time with God in the Wilderness
Yesterday I wrote about those times when God leads us into wilderness periods in order to teach us to depend on him. When all of our sources of security and provision have been stripped from us, we realize that all we ever had was God himself all along.
Hopefully the lessons from the wilderness will stick with us.
However, walking through the wilderness is not a virtue in and of itself. God wants to shape our hearts and minds, fostering reliance on His Spirit. Make no mistake, this is something we can squander and screw up.
While in the wilderness the Israelites refused to trust God to provide, complained when he didn’t provide what they wanted, and worshipped an idol when God didn’t show up on their time table. There were serious consequences to this battle of the wills.
God does not back down when we resist the lessons he wants to teach us.
I can fight him, persist in sin, and complain that the wilderness isn’t what I deserve. However, God has his plans for me and for you, and these are good plans for our benefit. The process may not feel pleasant, but it can produce real fruit if we submit to his plans for us.
Resistance, selfishness, or sloth will not lead us out of the wilderness. Some days I feel like I’m slowly piecing together the lessons he wants me to learn, other days I gripe and complain, and then other days I have a refreshing glimpse of the blessings he wants to start unfolding in my life and in the lives of those around me.
Until God becomes our greatest desire, may every other source of comfort and security leave us frustrated, stuck, and confused. May nothing take the place of God in our hearts. May we learn that lesson sooner than later.
I know my stepping into the wilderness with God is meant to be a blessing, yet I also know that when I am stuck there, it is because I am fearful of His huge vision for me.
I open myself to stepping into the wilderness, learning what God wants me to and stepping forward into his light. Knowing this cycle has brought me great peace knowing I am willing to be with all of what God has for me.
Thanks for your work Ed, it is of God!!
It’s one thing if we ourselves wander away from Him and find ourselves in a wilderness, but quite another when He leads us there. As you’ve pointed out, the question is whether we are convinced of his goodness–his kind intentions–toward us.
Jesus, our perfect example, demonstrates that we can do everything right, follow the leading of the Spirit, and still end up in the desert. Yet, with his help, we eventually return to civilization in the “power of the Spirit.” It’s a good trade!