Sometimes life forces us into the wilderness. This is what we've seen in the first three cases. Elijah was sent there by God to survive the drought, and then forced there to save his life from Jezebel. David had to flee to the wilderness in order to save his life from King Saul. Moses was forced to flee to the wilderness after killing an Egyptian. These men had no choice it was the wilderness or death. But as we've seen the wilderness really wasn't a bad trade off.
We have times in our lives where we are forced into the wilderness as well. Sometimes things don't go as planned. Sometimes finances fall through. Sometimes people let us down. For one reason or another we find ourselves unexpectedly in the wilderness because of circumstances out of our control.
But at other times in life we make a choice to enter the wilderness. Sometimes we intentionally go there, as is the case with the next three men we'll look at, and we'll see the blessings they received from the time they spent in the wilderness.
In my life, when things don't go as I thought I often retreat to the wilderness. Recently my spot of choice has been the Overlook at the Ledges in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I've gone there with my wife, my dog, and alone. I've gone there to listen and simply to think. It's a peaceful spot, I'm able to sit and lean against a rock formation as I look out into the forest.
I've longed to pack my backpack and head off somewhere for a few days, but my wife doesn't have the time and at the moment we don't have the money for me to be able to go. So for now the Overlook will have to do.
Due to recent events in life I've been asking a lot of questions. With so much up in the air, not just with me but with the Church, there has been a lot of searching. And in this I've seen that the wilderness is a place to refocus. The wilderness provides time to rest, time to regroup, and an opportunity to receive, and I think all of that comes together to help us refocus. And when I look at the Bible I see a man who went to the wilderness to refocus.
In Galatians 1 the Apostle Paul shares about some time that he spent in the wilderness which refocused his life and ministry. Paul, by his own admission, was a Hebrew of Hebrews (Philippians 3). He was a Pharisee who persecuted the Church because he believed they were opposed to God. But while on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians he has an encounter with Jesus, his life is transformed and one of the Churches biggest opponents becomes one of its most passionate servants.
At first his ministry is to the Jews, but that isn't God's plan for Paul. Shortly after his encounter with Christ, God reveals to Ananias that Paul is His chosen man to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. During his encounter with Jesus Paul is struck with blindness. Ananias is sent to him to lay hands on him to restore his sight.
When his sight is restored he begins to preach to the Jews in Damascus. There is a plot to murder Paul that is discovered and the disciples lower him in a basket in an opening in the wall. He goes to Jerusalem where again there is a plot to kill him, and he is sent to Tarsus. At this point he is absent for a few years. But later in one of his letters Paul shares about his absence.
"For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus." (Galatians 1.11-17)
At the end of this time Barnabas searches for Paul and finds him in Tarsus. After at least a year they set out on their first missionary journey to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Paul spent time in the wilderness of Arabia and in that time His ministry was refocused. His ministry initially was to the Jews, his own people, but it was God's plan to save the whole world, and to use Paul as an initial instrument in that cause. Paul's wilderness time with God, and the refocusing of his ministry resulted in the furtherance of the Gospel, two-thirds of the New Testament, and countless believers in Christ.
The wilderness is a time for God to refocus our lives onto His plan. It might be when we come to the end our our rope and end up in the wilderness by force that God helps us to see His plan and will for our lives. But we don't have to be forced into the wilderness, we can choose to go there and allow God to refocus us, as my mentor has said, "God open our eyes to what you are already doing."
In the wilderness God can refocus us onto His plan. And being refocused onto God's plan results in being greatly used by God for the expansion of the Kingdom.
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
No comments:
Post a Comment