Growing up, I never got a really good theology of the wilderness. That’s a place I wanted to avoid. If you had a friend who was in the wilderness, you thought: ‘Oh, boy. He must have taken a wrong turn. God must be punishing him for something.'
You could go online and find all KINDS of books about how you never have to go thru a spiritual wilderness. Read this - pray like that - say these words - skip this way - there’s a way out. And I’ll tell you ... a lot of that is anti-spirituality. It’s a cultural religion that lifts up happiness and personal comfort beyond where they belong -- to a place where self-actualization is the highest goal of life. That isn’t a Jesus-Gospel.
Jesus’ Gospel is a rugged spirituality where you sometimes find yourself in trouble. That happens so you have to rely on Him. If you’re never in trouble, you’re never going to sense a need for God.
Because when everything’s going all right and someone asks you: ‘What’s going on today?’ you say: ‘Well, I’m going out to dinner ... maybe catch a movie.’ But when you’ve just come back from the doctor and he tells you some news you don’t want to hear and then somebody asks you: ‘What’s going on?’ you’re not talking about the movies then.
When your wilderness is that your marriage isn’t going well ...
When your wilderness is that your parents are considering a divorce ...
When your wilderness is that your health is in serious trouble ...
When your wilderness is that the bank is calling again ... you become acutely aware of what is going on in your life.
The other thing that happens in the wilderness is, we desperately try to locate God. How many of us have said it when we’re in the middle of our own desert: ‘God, where are You? Where did You go?’
And God works powerfully thru His hiddenness ... because in the wilderness you’re listening ... really hard. You’re paying attention ... really hard. You hear every leaf rustle ... you hear every twig snap. And God, though He may seem hidden, still sees you - still hears you. Often it is His very hiddenness that grows us because we quit looking at the moment and we start looking at the season ... at the whole story ... not at this one emotional day ... and we start listening harder.
We start to trust that the hiddenness of God doesn’t mean He isn’t active. He’s breaking some things over here - He’s molding some things over there - He’s re-creating some things over here. And if we do all we can to avoid the wilderness, we’ll get to our 40s and 50s and 60s and 70s and have gone backwards because those times are meant to grow us.
And be blessed.
2 comments:
Since I have begun my walk with Jesus, I have gone thru a couple of wilderness-lites. Before in my life I went thru some true wildernesses, so I know the difference. Those were some dark days, but surprisingly enough, on the other side of them, I can see how it was for the best...and how God looked after me.
I can say with complete confidence that, in the beginning. when I was first saved and wondered where God went to, I thought He turned His back on me, because I wasn't a good enough person. BUT, in the past 3 years, the times when I have felt that God was far away...all I had to do was TALK to Him and be honest with Him and He is always there. I know, bcause I get shivers. That has never happened to me before with any other person. It's a God thing... :) When I feel alone, I tend to retreat into my little shell. But, when I come out and just confide in Jesus, He really is there...always....and that's nice to know.
Sometimes I think that life is wilderness, that the characters in the Bible teach us that when we follow Jesus we may never be out of harms way, and most of the times we will be in danger however we will be exceedingly happy about it. I really never understood this until I stumbled upon JB Phillips paraphase of the book of James, 1:2-8 - When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don't resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realise that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. I love what Martin Luther King said, "I still believe that standing up for the truth of God is the greatest thing in the world. This is the end (purpose) of life. The end of life is not to be happy. The end of life is not to achieve pleasure and avoid pain. The end of life is to do the will of God, come what may." Seriously this brought a tear to my eye, because it is so counter culture, and counter intuitive. I cannot tell you how many times I have been in the desert, this last bout I finally have come to the realization that God never leaves me, through it all he is before me, behind me, and on all sides of me, he loves me, he knows how and when the sparrow fell to the ground,and knows everything about me from my meta physical body, how blood is pumped through my system to the effects of my actions as I encounter individuals through my day. I thank God that he has brought me to the wilderness, through the desert, and is on all sides of my life. Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD
is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Thank you very much
Grace and Peace!
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