Short Thought continued.....
Desert Time
No one likes doing ‘time in the desert’.
Time waiting for God, or is that on God?
Time waiting: hoping that He will show us the way out into a more prosperous land, and soon.
Time wandering: unsure of what the purpose of this season is or where He’s directing us.
Every direction we look all we see is barrenness, dryness, emptiness.
We can feel abandoned, lost and fearful.
The desert can be a hard place to be in.
When you find yourself there do you complain and grumble as most of the Israelites did?
We have a tendency to look at our problems, at what we don’t have,
at how hard life is; we complain and grumble.
The better way, like Moses, Joshua and Caleb lived, is to look to God,
depend upon and trust Him to bring us through.
Whilst in the desert, God guided the Israelites with a pillar of cloud, He protected them with
a pillar of fire; He parted the sea to open up an exodus route; He provided water, manna and quail;
He gave strategies for them to successfully fight the Amalekites; He gave them His laws to live by.
God did an abundance of miracles. All the Israelites witnessed and experienced these;
yet their faith failed them and lengthened the time they spent in the desert.
Jesus also spent time in the desert: forty days and nights, without food, being tempted by the devil.
He stood his ground by declaring his faith and obedience to His Father.
We all do desert time.
The crucial thing is: Who comes out of the desert?
God took the Israelites into the desert to prepare them,
when He bought them out they were ready to claim the Promised Land.
The Spirit of God led Jesus into the desert, gave him strength to endure it
and bought him out prepared and ready for ministry.
Time in the desert prepares us for living in our ‘Promised Land’.
Will you let God take you into the desert to prepare you for what is ahead?
As He does this will you look to Him, depend upon Him and trust Him to bring you through?
Will you look for the miracles He has or is doing and give Him thanks and glory for these?
‘A voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way for the Lord;
make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.’
(Isaiah 40:3 NIV)
‘Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what He has done.
Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts.
Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.
Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles.’
(Psalm 105:1-5 NIV)
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