Hope In The Wilderness


HOPE IN THE WILDERNESS

By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly

We all spend time in the wilderness— seasons of testing when God is quiet and times are tough. We pepper God with questions, but often He is silent, and we can neither see nor hear Him.  If this sounds familiar, I want to assure you that you aren’t alone.

Abraham spent time in the wilderness and became the Patriarch of the Jewish people.

Moses spent years in the desert and went on to lead God’s chosen people on the Exodus from Egypt.

David spent time in the wilderness and later became king.

Jacob, Elijah and John the Baptist also spent time in the wilderness and went on to do great and mighty things.  Even Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. He exited victorious and empowered for miracles, the saving of souls and the conquering of sin and death for all mankind for eternity. He became King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

It may be unpleasant, alone with snakes with your tongue stuck to the roof of your mouth, but the wilderness is not only a place of testing, but also of strengthening and preparation for promotion.  Here God speaks, provides heavenly bread, water from the rock and parts the sea so we can cross on dry land.  It can be a place of misery and miracles, and often the amount of time spent there depends on how quickly we learn our lessons and how much we struggle with unbelief.

Beloved, we are not led to the wilderness as punishment, but rather:

“...the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” — Hebrews‬ ‭12:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Father, thank You for loving us too much to leave us the way we were—for wanting more for us than we even want for ourselves.  Help us to see love in Your discipline and to quickly come beneath the protection of Your hand.  May we exit the desert strengthened, empowered and ready for miracles and the greater things (John 14:12) that You have in store.  In Jesus’ Name ❤️

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