08/26/2015
Today's Encouraging Word- The Desert Experience
A few days ago, a friend of mine called me up sharing how she is going through a desert experience. Well, in her case, she is literally having a desert experience, as she recently moved out to California, somewhere near the Mojave Desert. Needless to say, she's obviously going through a difficult season in her life.
Listening to her, I was reminded of the words that Jesus spoke in the Book of John, Chapter 16, Verse 33 (a), where he said, "In this world, you will have trouble.." In other words, even as Christians, and followers of Christ, Jesus never guaranteed that our lives would be a cakewalk.
Immediately after giving us this warning, however, Jesus offered some encouragement, saying, "but take heart (or cheer up), for I have overcome the world." (John 16: 33 (b)) In other words, "Yes, in this world, we will experience trials and tribulations, but, don't be discouraged. Jesus overcame every challenge that was thrown at him, and, if we stay fixed and focused on him, we too will prevail."
It has often been said that every great man and woman of God must go through a desert experience, a time of testing, before they can begin to do what God has called them to do. This desert experience is what refines us and strengthens us for the task ahead. One Proverb says, "The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lords tests the heart." (Proverbs 17: 3)
In the Book of Matthew, Chapter 4, we see that before Jesus could go out to fulfill his divine calling, he too needed to have a "desert experience". The Bible says that "Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came to tempt him."
So you see that Jesus, in his natural state as a man, was not exempt from trials, tribulations, and temptations. He was purposely led by the Holy Spirit into a place of isolation, apart from others, so that he could be tried and tested. Is it possible that God will allow us to enter into a desert experience so that we will have no other option but to call out to him? Notice that throughout this experience, every time that Jesus was tempted, the only thing he relied on was God's word. With every temptation that the devil threw at him, Jesus only responded with scripture. In my experience, I have learned that God's word is sweetest in our most troubled times.
Let's look also at Moses and his desert experience, as outlined in Exodus, Chapter 3. "Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, Mount Horeb." This is the story in the Bible where God calls out to Moses from the burning bush- "Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” "When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
You see, when you are in the desert, there are very few things out there to distract you. And, I wonder if God allows us to have these desert experiences so that He can have our full attention!? Is it possible that God may be calling out to us!? Is it possible that God may be trying to get our attention? Maybe God has a calling for us, something that he is calling out to us to do, like the way He called out to Moses.
I guess there are several ways to go through a desert experience. We can moan and groan the whole way through, like the Israelites, who spent forty years moaning and groaning in the desert, for which many never got to see the Promised Land. Isn't that sad- to go through a desert experience and never get to see the thing that you were suffering or longing for?
Sometimes in the desert, it's possible to see a mirage- something that appears to be the real deal, but is really not. Many times, we get so desperate in the desert, that we throw ourselves at the first thing that seems to look like the thing we're hoping for, even if it's not the most ideal- whether it be a husband, a wife, a job, i.e., a house, a spouse, and anything in between.
And do you know that many of the Israelites after having come out of the desert SETTLED on the wrong side of the Jordan River. In other words, they settled on the wrong side of the Promised Land. They were so close, but still came up short. How sad- to go through forty years of a desert experience, to be so close to the Promised Land, and to just throw it all away, settling for Mr. Right Now, instead of holding out for Mr. Right!
We will all have our time in the desert. The question is, "How will we handle this time of testing?" Will we grow anxious and settle, or throw ourselves at the first false sense of hope that comes our way? Or, will we walk by faith, trusting in God, believing that He knows what we need, and, that in due time, He will give us the desire of our hearts?
