Five years ago, I spent a summer in the mountains,
culminating in a night hike up Pike’s Peak to watch the sunrise. I’ve never
seen anything more beautiful. But as I left my mountain high for dusty West
Texas, I entered a dry season unlike any I have experienced. Loneliness, hurt,
and stress dominated my life. In my desert season, I gained valuable insight
into the purpose of these wanderings.
1) The desert is meant to isolate us.
Our desert walks are times where God isolates us from
people and things we would normally run to for familiarity. The children of
Israel wandered in the desert and were isolated for forty years. Exodus 13:17
says, "When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the
land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, ‘Lest the people
change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.' But God led the
people around by way of the wilderness.”
He knew their hearts intimately, knew they would run back
to comfort. So, God proved Himself Provider with food from heaven, water from
rocks, a pillar of smoke to lead them by day, and a pillar of fire to lead them
by night. The desert is a place where God breaks us so that we turn to Him. He
shows up in mighty ways that we might have missed if we remained on the
mountaintop.
2) The desert refines and equips us.
The goal of the Christian life is metamorphosis into
Christlikeness. To have that transformation, we must experience the mountaintop
as well as the desert. If he sends us there, He will give us the tools we need
to survive.
For example, camels can withstand high heat and survive on
limited water. Cacti conserve water within their bodies to enable them to go
with little water for a long period of time. These plants and animals not only
survive but thrive in the desert. He equips them for the circumstances. If the
Lord does this for the plants and animals (Matthew 6: 26-30), how much more
will He do it for those created in His very image (Genesis 1:26)?
3) The desert is a place to both remember and forget.
In 1 Chronicles, David charges the people to remember the
miracles and judgments God had done. But in Isaiah 43:18, the Lord says,
"Forget the former things, do not dwell in the past. See, I am doing a new
thing. Now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the
desert and streams in the wasteland." The Israelites could get so bogged
down on what God had done in the past that they couldn’t see what He wanted to
do next. The desert is both a place for us to remember what God has done but
also look toward the horizon with anticipation for what He both desires and
promises to do.
You may be smack dab in the middle of a desert that seems
to have no end. Understand that the desert is His tool to draw you closer.
Remember what He has done and look for the pillar of fire that is leading you
out of the desert and to the next mountain He has purposed for you to climb!
Kariss Lynch writes
contemporary fiction about characters with big dreams, hearts for adventure,
and enduring hope. Shaken, her first book in the Heart of a Warrior series, released
in February 2014. A former freelance writer, she now works as the writer for
the communications ministry at a church in Dallas. You can connect with her via
her website, karisslynch.com
This is a great article. A must read. Loved it. Thanks for sharing this.
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