The Purpose In The Wilderness

"Bare heights of loneliness.... a wilderness whose burning winds sweep over glowing sands, what are they to him HIM? Even there He can refresh us, even there He can renew us."
                                                  Amy Carmichael, Missionary








When we hear a sermon on the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, often we hear about how they extended their stay in the sandy Sahara far longer than they needed to. While there is truth in this assessment, what is often not preached is why they ended up there in the first place. We are not taught that following their success and liberation came an ordained time of testing and trials. We are not taught the purpose and power that is associated with a wilderness experience.


The "wilderness experience" is a term used to describe a difficult time in a believers life that is frought with trials, discomfort, and a lack of security or certainty. Life becomes devoid of pleasurable things and any source of encouragement seems depleted. Drought and lack are the supreme leaders and temptation and spiritual attack are the persistent land mines. The venues may vary anywhere from physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, or any combination of the above.


Often, the wilderness experience is what follows a "mountain-top" experience. Achievement and accomplishment are the precursors of wandering in the wilderness. It is not necessarily a sign of a believer sinning. Rather, it is an ordained season filled with purpose and resulting in increased power in our walk. Every step is foreknown; every stone is hewn lovingly by the Master's hands.


In addition to the Israelites, there are many others who walked through a wilderness experience. The prophet, Elijah, had one (1 Kings 19:1-9). And, so did Job. And, so did Paul (Galatians 1:17-18). And, most importantly, so did Jesus (Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1). It was God's grace that carried them through, and it will be God's grace to do the same for you and I should we find ourselves roaming unknown terrain.


Survival consumes the day to day thoughts and the flesh cries for deliverance from the pressures that press so hard.Perhaps the most distressing aspect of the wilderness is the knowledge that God is well able to change our circumstances and yet He chooses not to. Fear and doubt crouch at the door of our hearts and all that we once knew as true begins to come into question. 


What is difficult to see during this season is that God is actually the One who is leading the way. The book of Deuteronomy tells us, "And you shall [earnestly] remember all the way which the Lord your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and to prove you, to know what was in your [mind and] heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not" (Deuteronomy 8:2). In the process of testing us, God is: inviting us to a more intimate relationship with Himself, humbling us, proving us, and teaching us to elevate His Truth over the truth of our circumstances.


The wilderness becomes our "proving ground" and we reside there until we have released all that is not in alignment with His will and His ways. We reside there until we die to our flesh, our ideas, and our ways and completely heed the Word of God. We reside there until God fills us with His power and enables us to possess the Promised Land.


It is in the waiting on God that we begin to discover God's peace and joy in the midst of trouble. It is in the waiting on God that we mature in Christ. It is in the waiting on God that we learn to daily receive His mercies and His grace for the day at hand. We experientially learn that His perfect love casts out fear. We experientially learn that His grace is sufficient and carries all our burdens. Through these things, God is revealed all the more in our lives. The apostle, Paul, says that these hardships "show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).


God fellowships with us in this place when we open our hearts to Him in purity. It is His grace that floods our dry desert place. It is His grace that refreshes us and renews us, despite our circumstances. When we surrender it all to Him and give Him our all, we begin to know Him and His heart even better than we did before. He prepares us and equips us for what He has called us to do.


If today you find yourself right smack in the middle of an unwanted wilderness, don't fight it. Relax and begin to learn the lessons and purposes for which God has you there. If you lean into it instead of resisting it, it will go better and quicker for you. Meditate on God's Word and on His goodness. Whatever area your struggle is in, find scriptures that contradict the truth of your circumstances. Meditate on them. Declare them. Believe them.


Remember, every person that was ever used mightily of God had to pay a dear price for that. But, I guarantee that if we coud interview them in heaven today, they would shout that every bit of it was absolutely worth it. Even more!


Stand secure against the lies of the enemy. Quote the Word back to him. If you do, you will see God's mighty deliverance on your behalf. If you do, you will truly understand the purpose and power in your wilderness experience!




                      "We all want Canaan without going through the wilderness."
                                                      Ravi Zacharias