Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert. ~Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert, Isaiah 43:19.
God has accomplished some pretty amazing things through His encounters with His people in the wilderness. We see how Moses discovered purpose in the wilderness. Elijah found strength in the midst of despair. The nation of Israel learned to trust God’s goodness and provision. Jesus was prepared for ministry in the wilderness of temptation.
For each of us, as we engage with the word of God and spend time in these accounts, we too can be encouraged and strengthened. But it takes intentionality, time, and space to press in… be able to hear the whisper of God. Mark John Comer, in his book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, says “The noise of the world makes us deaf to the voice of God, drowning out the one input we most need.”
In these remaining weeks leading up to Easter many Christians around the world are engaging in a practice called Lent. A season of intentionally creating space and time to encounter Jesus in the wilderness and meeting God in our empty places. Those places in our hearts where we have strayed and most need renewal. Those places that have become cold, distracted, or slipped into spiritual mediocrity.
Think of it as a pilgrimage with Jesus … a time to dig deep… a time to reexamine our lives and how we live them out. To discover just how thirsty we really are… discover just how faithful God is as we call out to Him from those dry and weary places in our souls and encounter Him in fresh, new, life-giving ways.
“Lent is a time of returning to God. It is a time to confess how we keep looking for joy, peace, and satisfaction in the many people and things surrounding us without really finding what we desire. Only God can give us what we want. So, we must be reconciled with God… The season of Lent helps us in a special way to cry out for God’s mercy.” –Henri Nouwen
Wildernesses are distinctive in being places that no one really wants to be: lonely, isolated spaces that aren’t comfortable or welcoming. The wilderness is not a place of punishment though, but rather a place of strengthening. Significant change happens in wilderness seasons–new life, growth, or transformation. It is in the wilderness that we are prepared to rediscover the amazing good news of the gospel of Holy Week and Easter.
Just as Jesus left the wilderness renewed and strengthened for the task before Him, to seek and save the lost and to suffer and die for them, so too, our time in the wilderness can lead us to a closer connection to Him and the Kingdom of Heaven He died to bring near, renewing our spirit, opening our eyes, ears, and hearts. Becoming more aware of God’s loving presence in, through, and around us. This fruitful season of heightened devotion is not sustainable indefinitely; however, this rhythm of devotion has a cumulative effect that will stay with us throughout the year. Knowing how we practice God’s presence during our time in the wilderness impacts the rest of our year, how fully will you enter in?
I would encourage you to have an honest conversation with God…. reflect and prayerfully ask the Spirit to reveal things that have distracted you from being intentional and experiencing a deeper intimacy with God...
Ask for His help to release it …just for a season, these few precious weeks leading up to Easter... What would it look like for you to return to the Lord - with all your heart? Be willing to release whatever it is that comes between you and the best the Lover of your soul has for you. Pick up a few new habits that can assist you in the process. Spiritual disciplines of fasting, prayer, repentance, forgiveness and generosity can help us to shift our focus from ourselves to God – they are gifts from God to help us draw near.
I pray that for each of you as you choose to accompany Jesus into the wilderness for a season, that you would meet and encounter Him in profound life changing ways!! Just as Moses found purpose in the desert, that your calling would come into focus. Like Elijah, as you honestly look at your deepest doubts and fears, you would be met with God’s amazing love and compassion speaking with His tender whispers directly to your heart amidst the noise of the world in which we live. Just as the Israelites who wandered seemingly aimlessly for a LONG time, may we see it as a fresh opportunity to walk instep with the LORD our God and learn of His care and provision in ways we never could in the “ease” of life. And finally, as we come out of the wilderness, may we, like Jesus, be better prepared to live out our calling, stronger, more focused, tried, tested and true. Embracing these wilderness moments can indeed be sacred places and spaces where we are drawn closer and encounter God. As we do we are shaped, prepared, transformed.
I offer you a beautiful poem to reflect on and encourage you as you consider embarking on your wilderness journey with Jesus, the Lover of your Soul.
Fondly,
Melody
Where the Breath Begins (from Circle of Grace, by Jan Richardson)
Dry and dry and dry in each direction.
Dust dry. Desert dry. Bone dry.
And here in your own heart: dry,
the center of your chest a bare valley
stretching out every way you turn.
Did you think this was where you had come to die?
It’s true that you may need to do some crumbling, …yes.
That some things you have protected
may want to be laid bare…yes.
That you will be asked to let go
and let go… yes.
But listen.
This is what a desert is for.
If you have come here desolate,
if you have come here deflated,
then thank your lucky stars
the desert is where you have landed—
here where it is hard to hide,
here where it is unwise to rely on your own devices,
here where you will have to look
and look again, and look closely
to find what refreshment waits to reveal itself to you.
I tell you, though it may be hard
to see it now, this is where
your greatest blessing will find you.
I tell you, this is where
you will receive your life again.
I tell you; this is where the breath begins.
