The Wilderness

Today I had a meeting about a possible coaching opportunity with my high school's club wrestling team. I had some extra time before hand so I went to the Overlook at the Ledges in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. There are some incredible rock formations there, so I took some time to just sit and look out into the forest, and tried to just listen to God.

Recently I've been really distracted. It seems like the more time I have the more I put things off. I find some unproductive way to waste time and I end up missing great God time opportunities. But as I've come to see that I'm working to be more intentional about not wasting time.

Right now I'm at an uncertain stage of life. I don't know where the road ahead is leading, and I don't know where the next stop is. It's one of those wilderness times in life. This is the third time, that I'm aware of, that I've experienced the wilderness. However, this time I feel like I'm doing a lot better.

I mentioned earlier this year that for the past few years God has given me a word to focus on for the year. 2010 the word was Christlikeness, 2011 the word was relationships, and this year the word is God. More and more I'm coming to understand that this life is not about me, that nothing is about me. God love me, God will always provide for me, and God cares about my needs and desires, but God does not exist to grant my wishes. Life is about me serving and glorifying God. And it is with that in mind that I journey in the wilderness.

It doesn't necessarily make it easier, but I will save I have more up days than down. Today as I sat on a rock I began to think about the wilderness. I think often times we see it as a bad place, a place where the cursed wander and are cut off from God's blessing. But I don't think that's the case.

Over and over in the Bible men retreat to the wilderness. Moses, David, Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul, are the ones who come to mind. For one reason or another each of these men entered the wilderness. Some voluntarily, others were forced there, but in each wilderness experience God is at work.

In the wilderness there are no distractions. There is nothing to keep the seeker from finding God. There is nothing to prevent them from hearing His voice. There is nothing in the wilderness to distract them from God, and it is in the wilderness that these men grew closer to God and came to know God more intimately.

Time in the wilderness allows us to draw closer and connect with God in ways that are impossible in the Promised Land. In the wilderness we must be connected with God in order to survive. In the wilderness we come to see who God really is, and we have opportunity after opportunity to watch Him come through and provide. The wilderness is a time of faith building. It is a time of connecting with God in ways we never knew were possible.

The wilderness is a blessing because it allows us to connect with God. But it is also a blessing because it helps us to appreciate the blessings of God all the more. After wandering in the wilderness for four decades Israel was finally able to enter the Promised Land. After time in the wilderness David was able to take the throne as King of Israel. After time in the wilderness Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul, were able to undertake the ministry that God called them to.

It is in the wilderness that we learn to appreciate to blessings of God in a new way. After time in the wilderness the fresh springs of water and fields full of vegetation are more pleasing to the eye then ever before.

As I journey in the wilderness these are the things I'm trying to keep in mind. I don't want to come out of this journey without being closer to God. I don't want to end this time without looking more like Christ. Through this time I want to come to know God more deeply than I ever have. This time has already given me a greater appreciation for the blessings that will follow. And even with that in mind I've really started to focus on the life that is to come, the life that will never end.

For those who are in their own wilderness I want to offer one piece of equipment that is helping me. To the right under the "Reading Suggestions" heading, the title 66 Love Letters by Larry Crabb is listed. It's a book that examines each book of the Bible and discusses it in a one-on-one conversation with God format. I'm using it as a companion to my study through the Bible searching for the heart of God, and it has helped to guide my thinking as I search for Him.

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you