Devotionals

The Purpose Of The Wilderness

Deuteronomy 8:2
ESV
2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

The wilderness is a period all of us will go through. The Israelites had their own wilderness where they were tried and tested. The wilderness season is often used in referring to the Israelites. It represents a period where after God delivered you and you're saved, you begin to go on this journey or time where you're tested, tried and dependent on God.

Your faith grows and is tested, you're often isolated and on a journey to where God wants to place you. Often, before God blesses us or takes us to a new level or season, He lets us go through these times of difficulty, unfamiliar, uncomfortable times so we can grow in trust, relationship, and faith in Christ. Our character is also often tested. We are refined constantly. Our sin is exposed and we begin to reflect Jesus more and more.

It's a period that feels uncomfortable because you're leaning on God's leading. You won't always know what's coming next but you trust God will take you to the promise land. It's a time when you can do your own thing, go your own path, disobey, complain, behave horribly and be ungrateful such as the Israelites were or a time when you can ask God questions, grow in wisdom and strengthen your faith. Often we admire the latter but in these wilderness seasons, it's when your faith is now being trained and it's not always the prettiest.

Often in these wilderness seasons as the verse mentions, God sees what's in our hearts. It's not as if God didn't already know before the wilderness season. God did know, for His the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8), His omniscient and knows all (Psalm 147:5) but He reveals or us what's in our hearts. Often we can have a place of sin, areas in our lives that need healing, times where we need to see ourselves for who we are (broken, sinful) and see who God has created us to be (daughters, sons of the Most High (John 1:12), lights (Matthew 5:14), ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20, etc). Where all our flaws are now before us and we are in a season where God moves in our hearts. He cultivates those hearts of gratitude, humility, life, and surrender to us so we can bear good fruits (John 15:2-6).

God also tests us to see if we will obey or not. Will we go under the pressure and make our own will? Will we do our own thing? Will, we chose the path of sin when it gets too much? Will we complain? Will we ignore His warning? All of this is what God sees during these seasons to also see if we are ready to go where He calls us to be.

So from this verse, I want you to take this.

-God teaches you humility.

Do not lean on your own understanding, trust God knows what His doing and knows more than you (Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 55:8-9). These seasons are so painful and often uncomfortable that we can assume God is making mistakes, our plans are better, or rely on our wisdom but I encourage you to seek humility. It's in these moments you shouldn't be like the Israelites (Numbers 11:1-9), looking back and judging God but rather you should go to God with your questions knowing that He sees, hears and knows more than you.

Ask God what He desires to do in this season. Ask God to help you learn what He wants you to learn. Ask God to help you be refined by this situation. Ask God to help you not lean on your own understanding and cast your burdens on Him.

God isn't afraid of our questions and our humble approach to being comforted and directed (James 1:5).

Ask God to help you grow in your faith. Ask God to help you not to give in to the pressure to do your own will or to compromise. Sometimes we get impatient, skip steps or make rushed decisions just to regret how we weren't so patient. Ask God to help you be more like Him, cultivating that peace, self-control and humility.

Ask God to help you obey, stand for His word and refuse the temptations of the enemy. We also get tempted in the wilderness, Jesus, our King Himself was tempted (Matthew 4:1-11). We often go outside God's will by falling into sin, backsliding and compromising due to these spiritual attacks. Pray that you remain obedient, steadfast, resisting the devil always and continuously prayerful and seeking God (James 4:7).

For those in the wilderness. I encourage you to do these 3 things and remain steadfast. These seasons though they feel long aren't forever. They do have an end but our ultimate hope is eternity in Christ, where there is no more pain, tears and anguish but eternal peace. We hope to remain steadfast, fighting the good fight, resting the devil, fleeing from temptation and remaining patient in trial so we can receive the crown of life (James 1:12).

But also on this earth, trials don't last forever, it's filled with valleys and highs. The pain we feel today can be joy tomorrow (Psalm 30:5). Though you may be under attack, constantly facing adversary from the kingdom of darkness or be in a shaky time when trusting God is becoming more difficult, my sis I encourage you to know that the Israelites were there, David was there, Abraham was there, Esther, Ruth, Daniel,  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were all there and even our Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ was there.

But they all survived because they persevered and kept their faith in God even when it looked as if God was far. When God felt the farthest, we have the heroes of faith today because they trusted He was near. So sis, keep trusting that you have a crown of life but also glory awaiting you. God prepares us before giving us blessings and when you go where God has called you to, you'll make an impact just as these heroes of the faith have.