Wilderness Wisdom

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." Matthew 5:6

I promise we will get to the banks of the Jordan soon, but we can't afford to miss the lessons of the wilderness. Sometimes God allows - even designs - dry, difficult times in our lives for a purpose. Why did the Israelites have to journey through the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land? Why not arrive instantly after deliverance from Egypt? Granted, God did not intend for them to wander in the desert for 40 years, but He did want them to experience it for a time. What was the purpose?

I believe Deuteronomy Chapter 8 answers this question. In 1999, God gave me this chapter during a difficult season in my Christian walk. In 2006, He brought me back to it during a women's retreat and spoke to me about the "promised land" in my own life. Looking out over the beautiful mountain scenery at the Applegate retreat center, I realized how different God's ways and timing can be from ours. I would not have chosen to wait seven years. A lot of the time, it felt like "wandering", but God was accomplishing a deeper purpose.

Here are a few passages from Deuteronomy 8 that will give us a picture of His heart for us in the wilderness:

"Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD." Deut 8:1-4 (emphasis mine).

The chapter goes on to describe the abundance of the promised land and warns the people not to forget who brought them there. There's a tendency when we come into a good place to think "My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth." (Deut 8:17). This is very dangerous. God says "And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covanent which He swore to your fathers , as it is this day." (Deut. 8:18) Of course, this is not just referring to material wealth, but any type of richness and blessing in our lives.

So what are God's purposes in the wilderness, the dry, difficult times in our lives? Based on the scriptures above, I believe it is to:

• Humble us
• Test us (show us what's in our hearts, whether or not we will obey)
• Create a deep hunger in our hearts
• Teach us that only God Himself can satisfy our hunger

As Jon Courson says, "Too often, we don't crave the Bread of the Word or the Bread of Life because we're not hungry. There's a progression seen here: My reaction in the wilderness makes me hungry for righteousness. So I go to church once again, have devotions once more, exchange Newsweek for the Word, turn off talk radio and listen to teaching tapes. But this doesn't happen until I'm hungry. And I don't know I'm hungry until I'm in the wilderness. It's all part of the program."

A life of abiding and advancing in the Spirit will not just fall into our laps. We will not get there by wandering aimlessly and refusing to take steps of faith. It requires purpose and discipline. We need to get HUNGRY for God. He designs it this way. Otherwise, we have the tendency to take the credit. When we are humbled, tested, hungry and seeking, we know that we live by the words of the Lord. Then He can bless us, empower us, and move through us. His glory is safe with us.

Thought Questions: Mentally review wilderness seasons in your own life. What did God teach you? Did it bring you to a place of greater hunger for Him? Did you allow that hunger to propel you towards the promised land or let it fade with time? Where are you on the journey now?