For he is the one about whom the prophet Isaiah had spoken: “The voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight’”
Matthew 3:3
When I think of the wilderness, I don’t equate it with a good time. I know there are people who like that kind of thing. I just don’t happen to be those people. The wilderness does not contain the things that bring me joy…coffee and thrift stores. Oh…and indoor plumbing. On the daily, I require those things.
However when I want to be alone or figure things out or really seek God, I do tend toward wilderness-adjacent places. Usually the lake. Granted, I still require indoor plumbing and somewhere to make and store coffee and a roof, so not real wilderness.
In the Bible, throughout, a lot of stuff went down in the wilderness. Most of it wasn’t great but it was necessary. I love what Pastor Tony Evans says about the wilderness.
The wilderness is a barren place of preparation and development for what God is planning to do.
Tony Evans
Think about some of the wilderness mentions.
John comes from the wilderness. And from his description, he is perhaps quite at home there. He may be a little wild, but he’s preparing the way for Jesus’ ministry.
Jesus gets led there “by the Spirit” for the sole purpose of temptation after his baptism and before he fully starts his ministry. (John 4:1). I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t sound like a good time. 40 days. No food. An enemy who wants to destroy his purpose. Nope. No thank you.
And then there’s what we in the medical field call the frequent flyers of the wilderness, the longest sojourners there, those precious Israelites. God’s chosen people. Remember them? They spend a lot of years in the wilderness acting out. In fact the OG Israelites act up so much that they never make it out.
Once in particular, Moses takes a little too long up on the mountain talking to God. The Israelites said: “as for this fellow Moses…we don’t know what has become of him.” (Exodus 32:1)
(PS…God’s presence was chilling on the mountain in the form of a cloud, so they could have just looked up there and trusted they were both still there, but maybe they forgot to check for that.)
Since it was taking too long for them, they got ol’ Aaron to make them a gold calf, which he did pretty willingly (contrary to the story he tells when Moses comes back). Chaos ensues. Tablets get broken. God wants to kill them all. Oh…and Moses now has to go back and do it again while they wait.
The wilderness should have been a refining point for them, yet spoiler alert, they keep right on acting up.
What’s the point? It is what you do in the wilderness that matters. Maybe, like me, you find yourself in a bit of wilderness situation…again. (Oh ya…frequent flyer. Just like those pesky Israelites). Am I frustrated to be here? Yup. Am I angry that my bad choices got me here….again? Oh ya. But those feelings, while valid, were also short lived.
Why? Because I don’t want to waste the wilderness this time. I want God to meet me in my wilderness, to show up and provide the manna to sustain me through it. I want to see his grace and refining, to really recognize it, here in the wilderness. I want to eventually leave the wilderness better than when I came in.
What happened to get me back in the wilderness is not what matters. What matters is what happens next. While we’re here, God, prepare and develop me for my next right thing. Refine me and teach me to walk with you so I don’t have to come back to this wilderness again (though I’m sure there will be others).
The wilderness itself isn’t a bad place. It’s what we do in the wilderness that matters. I cannot sustain myself in this wilderness and the way out is full of danger.
All I have left here is surrender. Wherever you lead, God. Even if I have to take the long way out this time. All of this is what it takes sometimes to bring me to the end of myself, the place where I know without a doubt I cannot do the things on my own. Good thing I don’t have to.
This Season.... 