WILDERNESS

THE WILDERNESS

The wilderness experience and exile are often the place of meeting God face to face. Many of the great characters in the Bible are at times in the wilderness or in exile. A few are Abraham, Joseph, the nation of Israel, Sampson, David Daniel, Elijah, Paul, Jesus, John the Apostle. You may have a wilderness experience in your live. It could be depression, illness grief, job loss, financial or family relationship problems. The wilderness is the place where you don’t want to be. You didn’t plan to be there. You might wind up in the hospital after an accident. My most recent “wilderness experience” was in November 2006 when I fell from a ladder and broke bones in both ankles. I had been working on a shop garage on the day after Thanksgiving. The ladder I was on shifted and I fell on he concrete foundation. One can find himself in a wilderness exile in a few seconds. Following that was an extended time in wheel chair. There were other medical procedures and surgery for other medical problem. It is hard to see God’s presents in the wilderness, but he is there. I remember my prayers as muted and limited by pain and preoccupation with medical issues. I at one point really wept. Thanks to my wife Deborah I was able to get along and recover. That is another story.

The wilderness exile can have life changing meaning and purpose. Moses was in the wilderness for forty years before he saw the burning bush, but God was there. Moses spent forty years in the wilderness as a shepherd of the flock of his father-in-law so that he could spend the next forty years as shepherd of the flock of God the children of Israel.

Jacob wrestled with God and found a new way by finding god’s purpose for him in the wilderness.

David found refuge in the wilderness exile from the wrath of Saul.

Joseph found that what man meant for evil God meant for good

Jesus fought one of his greatest battles with the devil in the wilderness.

Five thousand people found God’s love and Jesus compassion as he fed them from a little boy’s lunch in the wilderness.

I found that God work through the care of his people as friends from my church build the garage I was working on with me in the wheel chair looking on. These Christian friends built the building in ten hours.

The wilderness can be a place to find God.