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The Wilderness

A key motif throughout scripture is that of the wilderness. The Israelites, once freed from Egypt, head into the wilderness towards Sinai. When they refuse to trust in the faithfulness of God and believe in the bad reports of the unfaithful spies, they are led once again into the wilderness. David hides from Saul in the wilderness. In the prophets God often speaks of bringing his people back into the wilderness. Jesus goes into the wilderness immediately after his baptism. The church is described at times of being in the wilderness.

At first glance the wilderness may seem like a bad place. There are no cities, no civilizations, and no resources. Everything out there from the wildlife to the weather is trying to kill you. If you go out alone you will not survive.

Strangely, the Bible often talks of the wilderness fondly. In the prophets God yearns for the days when Israel wandered in the wilderness. For David and Elijah it is a place of safety from their enemies and in the time of the New Testament it is where prophets like John can be found proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom.

The wilderness is special because in the wilderness there is nothing except you and your dependence on God. When God yearns to take Israel back to the wilderness it is for that simple trust the nation had in him. When David and Elijah flee into the wilderness they are trusting in God to protect them from their enemies and to sustain them. When Jesus fasts in the wilderness he is putting all of his trust in the Father completely. 

While most of us will not find ourselves in a literal wilderness hiding from enemies or wandering for decades, we do find ourselves in the wilderness spiritually. Tragedies strike, events such as moving or job loss happen, and we have doubts and questions. We have times where we feel like we have no home and no place to go. We are wandering in the wilderness.

Usually we try to avoid these feelings as much as possible, but it can be during these times when we rediscover our utmost need for God's presence and the sufficiency of his Spirit. We realize that he has given us the food and drink we need, the body and blood of Christ, and that if all we have is him then we have enough. There will be temptations and dangers to be sure, but if God is for us then what can stand against us?

If you are in the wilderness I encourage you to pray and seek out the presence of Christ. Do not fear what you do not know but rest assured in the promise that he will never leave you or forsake you. May the God of all mercies be with you all.

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