In some humorous, annoying, yet pleasing kind of way, I have come to accept that I can actually talk about the wilderness. I have invested a certain number of hours, days and seasons to at least speak from experience and to help us reflect on what the Word of God says. But I must be honest, I will speak more from my failures and learning from grace than succeeding.
Wherever you are in your wilderness, you must understand that the stakes are high, the calling is deep, and the surrender is serious. Following Jesus is not about reading your Bible and shelving the words. Following Jesus is about eating His words each day, believing them to be true, and putting them into action. The cost of learning to be a disciple of Jesus is everything. That is what He requires if we are to follow Him and His kingdom. The wilderness will draw out what is really in your heart because God desires to lavish us in His grace and mercy through our repentance. We must humble ourselves before Him, sit there as long as it takes for Him to work the destructive tendencies out of our hearts.
I think the first question to answer is "what is the wilderness"? I am sure most of us see a dry, desolate desert where nothing grows, the heat rises, and the wind blows the tumble weeds by. The terrain is painted with tan and beige. Whatever picture is in your head, I think we can all agree that the wilderness looks barren. However, that does not answer the previous question: What exactly is the wilderness and what is its purpose according to a biblical perspective. I pose this question because if you do not know why you have ended up here, you will not understand God's purposes in it.
From Scripture, we see major stories of the wilderness threaded throughout, but I will only highlight two. The first one is when the nation of Israel fled Egypt and came out of slavery (Exodus 13-14). The second one is when Jesus found Himself in the wilderness before He began His ministry (Matthew 4). A few things that need to be deconstructed in our minds are as follow:
1. The wilderness is not Egypt (bondage and slavery).
2. God leads us into the wilderness (not the enemy).
3. God tests our character (anything that is not the image of God will scream louder because it is dying)... this is what makes the wilderness uncomfortable and can cause us to try to leave too soon.
The wilderness is the place that God leads us into to test what He has been building inside of us... not to fail, but to prove what is true and right. It is the becoming.
As Israel exited out of Egypt, they would embark on a journey to understand and believe who their new King is and who they were as His people. We are privy to the story and know that they utterly fail (as we all have) to be faithful to their Creator and King. In reading the gospel account of Matthew, he sets his account up by showcasing that Jesus is the Messianic King, in flesh, and He would inaugurate a new kingdom through Himself. But if you and I are going to follow this man, who claimed to be God, we would not foolishly choose to follow someone to our death if they had not been tested in their character and claims.
This beautiful account in Matthew 4 claims that Jesus went before us to conquer temptation when he was hungry and thirsty... only to prove that He was not swayed by His humanity. He teaches us that He had embraced His humanity, came under full submission to His Father, all the while continuing to be faithful no matter what was offered to Him.
The most impactful thing about a wilderness season is to embrace that Jesus has gone before us to show us how to live. In the wilderness, we will be tested, just like Him. If you decide to follow Jesus, we must live like Him...and die like Him. It is more about submission to the Father and proving that which He has already placed in us--His Spirit. If you are going to follow the King and be part of His Kingdom, then times of testing must come.
As I stated above, the wilderness is not Egypt. Do not get the place of barrenness confused with the place of bondage. This is the place where the accuser will use your weakness to ensnare you if you bow down to him. You must stay humble under the hand of God. Submit to His rule and reign and ask Him to conform you into His image. Ask Him to search you and to know you and to bring up whatever is offensive to Him. The wilderness is good for those who want to look like and live like Jesus.
He is wonderful and gracious. Kind and truthful. Merciful and honest. Strong and tender. Who are we to follow the Perfect One? People who are called by Him, by His grace, and covered by His blood.
Let's follow Him into the wilderness. He will teach us how to live.
By Grace,
Cortney Rae