Lessons in the Wilderness

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]

Sometimes we end up in places we never thought we’d be. Whether it’s a byproduct of not paying attention when we’re driving or not paying attention to our daily decisions, habits, and attitude, we end up...somewhere. Somewhere we may not want to be or even somewhere that we should be. Though we may not make a conscious decision to stop reading the Bible, or the new habits we pick up don’t seem all that bad at first, over time, we find ourselves in unknown land. Other times, it seems as life just happens to us, and circumstances beyond our control push us into areas we never planned to be.

When the Israelites finally left Egypt, they likely thought that life was going to get better. That was what God had promised, right? A land flowing with milk and honey? Instead, he sends them--in the wrong direction--to the wilderness. For forty years. On a map, their journey looks like this: 

If I were an Israelite, I’d be wondering what on earth God was up to. Didn’t he create the world, so shouldn’t he have a better idea of how to move efficiently across it? Was that really the best way to take to get from Egypt to Canaan? Isn’t there an easier way?

Which, when I think about it, are some of the same questions many of us ask God in our own lives. When we find ourselves where we didn’t want to be, whether through our own doing or circumstances beyond our control, we ask God, “Isn’t there an easier way?” For the Israelites, sure, there were ways to Canaan that look objectively “easier,” but that’s just the way we look at it. God’s map doesn’t look like ours.

In the wilderness, the Israelites had to trust God for their literal daily bread. Each night, God sent manna--just enough for each person for that day, and on the sixth day, enough for the seventh as well. No more, and no less than what they needed. They had to learn patience, as God led them from place to place in what may have felt like a very nonsensical order. And ultimately, they learned about his provision and timing, as he led them into the land of Canaan, the land he had promised all along, when he knew it was time.

When we have the full story available, we can see all of the good things that came from the Israelites’ time in the wilderness. It feels a lot different when we’re the ones in the wilderness though. We may not be able to see any of the good in where we are, and it certainly may not feel like God is doing what is truly best for us. Yet through the wilderness, God shapes us in ways we may not be able to be shaped otherwise. There are some lessons that cannot be learned the easy way. It is in those times that we can take heart in knowing that no matter the kind of wilderness we find ourselves in, and for whatever reason, God promises he will be near.  

(Map is from http://www.bible-history.com/maps/images/exodus_route.jpg. As a note, it’s harder than you’d think to find a map of the Israelites’ journey from a reputable online source, but the map does look to be at least somewhat accurate.)

[Brianna DeWitt believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She loves Christmas and can be found spreading Christmas cheer by singing loud for all to hear. You can read more of her musings on her own blog or follow her on Twitter @bwitt722.]