Overcoming the Wilderness

ENTERING THE WILDERNESS

The Wilderness is necessary. 

The temptations are intentional. 

Can you believe that?

The seasons of isolation, the challenges, the struggles, the frustrations, the lack- all of it, intentional. 

But here is the thing, while they are allowed, we are expected to intentionally overcome them. In overcoming, new dimensions of who we are and who we are meant to be are revealed.

The Israelites had a wilderness. Jesus had a wilderness. And we have a wilderness of our own. In fact, depending on your life experiences wildernesses may be more accurate. 

Let’s look at Israel, Jesus, and ourselves and see what we can learn.

Israel was taken out of Egypt after petitioning God to deliver them from their oppressors (Exodus 3:7-10; Exodus 14). When they were freed from their captivity, they had to pass through the wilderness to get to the Promised Land. There was a route that would get them to their destination quickly but traveling that path would lead to them choosing captivity over freedom without hesitation. 

“When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, ‘If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. . ." Exodus 13:17-18 NLT

Though the route they were led on was longer, “the Lord went ahead of them. . .” (Exodus 13:21). God was faithful to His promise that He would help them (Exodus 13:19). He held true to that promise when He utterly destroyed the enemy that opposed them all those years (Exodus 14:5-21). However, though He was faithful, they struggled with knowing Him and trusting Him.

Shortly after God’s deliverance from their enemies, they stepped into the wilderness which lacked things they had previously enjoyed in Egypt. They began to crave the pleasures they once had available, forgetting they had been mistreated in the same place pleasure existed. While the wilderness was dry and was not as appealing, it was an opportunity to foster intimacy with God and get to know him better through personal experiences. 

In the past they just called out to him as deliverer, as they petitioned for freedom from their bondage, but He was and is so much more and longed to reveal more of His Character to them. However, they often forfeited those experiences by complaining against Him rather than pausing to recognize that he cared for them and desired to provide for them. As a result of their constant pursuit of what they left behind and difficulties anticipating what laid ahead, their heart remained unchanged and the majority did not enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14:30).

Let’s look at Jesus. He had His own wilderness experience but it did not end the same as the Israelite’s experience (Matthew 4). Instead of dying in the wilderness, He overcame every obstacle of faith (temptations) and left the wilderness ready to start His ministry of bringing His Kingdom here on earth as it is in Heaven. Like the Israelites, Jesus didn’t choose the wilderness. He was led into the wilderness.

ENDURING THE WILDERNESS

The Israelites who died in the wilderness neglected fellowship with God. When challenges came, that’s all they saw- the obstacle seemingly barricading them.

However, Jesus, when he entered the wilderness, entered with a foundation of relationship with the Father. We see that this relationship began very early when He entered the temple at 12-years-old without His parents’ knowledge (Luke 2:41-52, NIV). When His earthly parents finally found Him, His response wasn’t “I’m sorry” but rather, “‘Why were you searching for me . . . Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’”(vs. 49). 

At 12, Jesus already knew God as Father and knew where He belonged and what He should be doing. He had already begun fellowshipping with God through reading of the Word. The years of time with the Father, prepared Him for the 40 days in the wilderness. As He experienced temptation after temptation, He relied on what He learned about His Father and His Father’s expectations to tear down every obstacle standing in the way of His purpose. He uncovered a level of glory he needed for the assignment and stepped into purpose.

Jesus demonstrated for us how we are supposed to endure the wilderness until our time of release into the new season. His victory started with fellowship cultivated long before the trials.

SURVIVING THE WILDERNESS

I want to be like Jesus.

I have to admit that when led into the wilderness, I didn’t always have faith filled responses as I struggled with letting go of friendships, battling my health, and losing comfort. At first, I walked in faith, trusting that my Father knew best as He instructed me but as my faith continued to be tested, I started to walk in the ways of the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness. Instead of leaning on my Father and growing in intimacy with Him, I complained about Him, complained about His instructions, and grew skeptical of His character.

I began doing the opposite of what Jesus modeled and like those who wandered in the wilderness, my vision was clouded by the obstacles and instead of walking by faith, I stumbled and not only lost sight of purpose but began to  live disconnected from Father. I continued doing all the right things- going to church, serving, bible study, reading the Word, worshipping, but deep down I knew our relationship wasn’t as deep as it had once been, which left me empty and reaching for things that hurt me rather than help me, to fill the void.

In your life, are there experiences that have challenged or reshaped your love for Jesus or even question His love for you? Do you feel the quiet war for your heart that no one sees but you can’t ignore? What are you convinced your life is missing that’s robbing you of joy now and misdirecting your affections? Where is your vision clouded concerning who God is?

As I battle  to make it out the wilderness alive, He has given me simple instructions- renew my mind. I invite you to renew your mind with me.

1. Identify the false narrative- What lie has your circumstance convinced you is true? 

I’ll be completely honest. As I encountered challenges in my wilderness seasons, I began to question God’s goodness. The more I questioned His goodness the more I walked by sight instead of faith. Consequently, I stopped trusting and started leaning on my own understanding.

Identifying the lies requires humility and accepting that we don’t have it altogether as much as we would like to.

2. Learn the truth -  What are your circumstances hindering you from seeing?

As lies persisted, I could not see the love He had for me and I misinterpreted His instructions and my circumstances as unfair. To reshape my thinking, I began reading the Word and taking special notice of God’s highlighted attributes as I read. I have also been reminding myself of instances in the past that refute those lies I believed, and recently, I have also been reading a book entitled Imagine the God of Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God’s Revelation, and the Love You’ve Always Wanted. Hearing other people’s testimonies and experiences with the God of the Universe and how closely their experiences align with experiences noted in the Bible makes me want to experience His love more. 

In this season, learning about His love is essential for me. What do you need to learn about Him in your wilderness season?

3. Silence the lies by repeating the truth - What are you rehearsing?

I’m still working on this one in this season, but from past experiences, I know that I know that what I rehearse shapes my outcome and experiences. This is why I have been meditating on His love. Through thiis meditation, I see that I have become more yielded in instances where I would have resisted in the past. In reshaping my perspective about His intentions, living in fellowship with Him is becoming a greater priority. 

4. Open your heart to receive new seeds - Are you committed to holding on to the false narrative you believe or are you ready to gain fresh perspective?

Throughout this journey, we must make room in our heart to acknowledge when we have believed lies, to receive the truth and accept it, and to proclaim the truth we now know over our present and future. 

Doing this means willingly accepting that we are wrong. He won’t force a new perspective on us. We have to prepare our hearts to receive the truth and water it. The right perspective is our key to surviving the wilderness and entering into new seasons.

The Israelites who wandered had an incorrect perspective of God and they died in the wilderness. However, Jesus’ perspective was anchored in an accurate view of God. Thus, He not only survived the wilderness, but also left with power and authority. We can be like Jesus, when God’s word is our anchor in all seasons. We can survive the wilderness but not without Him. We need Him and His word to sustain us.

In Matthew 11:28-29 (NLT) He gives us this invitation “‘Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'"

Let us anchor our lives and thoughts on the Lord. Let us pluck up the lies and plant His truth. 

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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.