The terms wilderness and desert are often used interchangeably in the Bible. Those of us in the west often picture wilderness as lush forest but our mind’s eye needs to go to the desert when we are reading the Bible.
God often interacts with His people in the desert wilderness. In the desert, there are few distractions other than acquiring the basic needs of the day. You learn to take one day at a time. Think about the gift of manna. God provided lavish food in this barren desert setting, but just enough for today. And with the exception of the Sabbath, not giving tomorrow’s until tomorrow.
This is where God prepared Abraham to father a nation, where Moses learned humility, where David learned to lead, where Israel received God’s instruction, and even where Jesus was led before entering His public ministry.
The wilderness becomes, as a picture, a place of preparation. As God uses the wilderness for His curriculum, His people have a choice in what kind of student to become. Moses, David, all those listed above and many others, were prepared for a specific role. But their progress was rarely a straight line.
When we find ourselves in a spiritual desert it is easy to think God is far away. Be encouraged! God will use the wilderness in preparing you for His kingdom and His kingdom work. We need to be willing students.
Have you been in the wilderness? Are you there now? Can you see yet what God is teaching you?
He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He kept him as the apple of his eye. Deuteronomy 32:10
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