When We Find Ourselves in the Wilderness
“As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.”
(Psalm 42:1-2)
The Israelites journeyed in the wilderness for longer than they expected. The Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible) records the magnificent story of the chosen people venturing onto this new path.
Enslaved in the land of Egypt, God brought these beloved people out from captivity, His miraculous signs and wonders guiding them carefully along the path.
Leaving their old life behind as they crossed the Red Sea, they saw a miracle as they treaded upon dry land. This would not be the last sign and wonder they would witness, as their future surely rested on the impossible.
As the Israelites stepped into the unknown, their lives would forever be changed.
This promise was given long ago that they would enter the promised land to their forefather, Abraham. They would become inhabitants of a land flowing with milk and honey (Gen 12:5-7; Gen. 17:7-8; Ex. 3:8).
But the fulfillment of this took time.
Forty years was how long they spent wandering the desert, which the Sovereign Lord had ordained. Brought into a place of freedom for the first time, the people did not obtain their true home right away. They had to wait.
Why?
They needed a time of refinement to become who they needed to be to enter the promised land.
As their leader Moses required forty years of being a shepherd in Midian to grow and develop, so the Hebrews needed this season. The proof was found in their disobedience, which caused the waiting time to be extended by God.
After enduring an incredibly hard season, they required time to learn to trust God with every part of their lives and with all they were.
The wilderness was not simply a meaningless detour. It was a foundational season they had to endure to grow as a nation.
They would be in a position in which they were forced to be fully dependent on God, relying on Him to meet their every need.
The Israelites would encounter only one stable thing during their journey: God Himself.
They were provided for in every way. Guided by the cloud by day, and fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22) and given manna (food) from heaven (Exodus 16). The presence of the Lord hovered over them, directing their every step. And they would face the humanely impossible during their time.
This time was precious to deepen their relationship with God. If they needed something, the people needed to seek the Lord. It was a time of minimal resources, strengthening of faith, and learning obedience.
It was a unique season set by the Lord. He look after them until the time in which the promise would be fulfilled.
So what was the people’s response?
Often, many uttered complaints to Moses, exposing their rebellious heart. They even talked of wanting to go back to Egypt:
“We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” (Num. 11:5-6).
“Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” (Num. 14:3).
When they encountered a minimal diet that lacked certain comforts, they looked back.
When they faced an obstacle of an intimating opposition in taking hold of the land, they looked back.
They looked back when things got hard. Uncomfortable. Not according to their will.
It is no secret that life in Egypt was very difficult. The circumstances they faced were brutal, to put it lightly. They were overworked, underfed, persecuted, and enslaved. They remembered this and yet, desired to go back. But why would this be?
The Israelites found themselves in a position where they had left their old way of life, it was not immediately replaced with something tangible.
When replacement (or what we think ought to be given to us) is not present immediately, it becomes uncomfortable. And often, the human tendency is we try to take matters into our own hands, to fix it ourselves. Even to look back and wish for previous hardships that even have a sense of familiarity.
However, the truth is the Israelites had everything they needed. In between Egypt and the promised land, the Israelites did not have a material home. Instead, they were being directed to a life of living in the presence of God. They were being emptied materially so that they could be filled up spiritually.
However, the Israelites’ disobedience pointed to a deeper heart issue. They were dependent on the temporal more than what was eternal.
Until that could be addressed, the Israelites would not be satisfied in the promised land and certainly would not walk in obedience to their loving Father. It did not matter where they were positionally. What mattered was their posture of heart towards God.
The Lord had them wait for the promised land to teach them to cling to what would never change: His love for them and His sovereign power. And He extended the period of waiting because of their disobedience, that it might lead them, as a people group, towards what He crafted them to be.
This problem runs a striking parallel to the garden of Eden. God crafted humankind and provided for all of their needs. He desired to simply walk with them, as the Lord did in the wilderness with the Hebrew people. Not having them lag behind or going forward. But rather, looking to Him for continued guidance. In the garden, it was a walk of communion. In the wilderness, a cloud and a pillar of fire.
And yet, Adam and Eve wanted to obtain something different. They disobeyed God by partaking of the fruit, through deception, and using their own human understanding. They sought to control rather than trust their Maker, looking to immediate gratification rather than weighing the consequences.
So this is not a new problem.
While we might be asking why the Israelites might have acted this way, we should also ask ourselves this question: Are we that different?
How often do we become discontent in the waiting season?
Are we trying to replace something or fill an emptiness that is meant to point us to God?
Do we try to go back to what is familiar rather than taking God’s hand and trusting Him with our present and our future?
Do we stare too long at the past rather than setting our gaze on the stability the Lord offers today?
The story for Israel did not end there. They did make it to the promised land and enjoyed the land. However, generations later, they would rebel harshly against the God who loved them so. Many times in fact.
The land would be taken, and the people taken captive. And then they would be brought back. And this would continue.
What did God do?
He pursued them.
The Lord called out to them once again, in the wilderness (Hosea 2:14). And later on in the grand story, He would come even closer to humanity by taking on human form through Jesus Christ.
He never gave up on the Israelites because He was the one holding them up.
This journey is based on God’s love for us, which as believers, is the driving force of our lives.
Yes, we follow Jesus by walking in obedience. But it all rests on what He did on the cross. Not on our performance.
So child of God, rest your head tonight. Trust in the Lord’s perfect timing, and wait patiently for Him.
Blessings,
