As I settle into this difficult season, the Holy Spirit is reminding me just how important it is. Don’t get me wrong…it is painful. And yes, I would rather not have to go through this. But…there is no mountaintop without the valley. There is no promise without the wilderness. And there is no victory without the battle. This season mirrors one that I have endured before…
I remember the time that I fell to my knees and asked the Lord to heal my marriage. And I remember getting up thinking, “There…I did it. I prayed for my marriage; and now, God will begin to heal us, things will progressively improve, and we will have a story of victory that will be shared with others.” But actually, the exact opposite happened. Instead of our marriage improving, our situation got worse and worse. In fact, we struggled for a few years after I prayed my first prayer for our marriage that day.
As you can imagine…the wait was disheartening. Some days, I questioned whether or not God would fulfill His promise. And other days, I felt like I didn’t have the strength to hold on.
Why would God give me a promise and then wait so long to fulfill it?
I questioned God’s timing over and over again during that season of my life. But when I look back, I realize that His timing was perfect because nothing was wasted.
During that season, the Lord showed me what it means to truly walk by faith. He showed me how to believe in Him, even when every bit of evidence said that I shouldn’t. He showed me how to be persistent in prayer even when it seemed as if my prayers were ineffective. He showed me how to persevere in the darkest of times. And now, I feel as though He is telling me to go back to my roots.
For some of you, it’s time to go back to your roots.
It’s time to go back to the place where you last believed God. Why? Because in that season, He gave you some gems that you need right now. He showed you how to pray in faith. He showed you how to wait on Him. He gave you the strength that you need for this moment. You are prepared…just remember what He’s already put in you.
For other’s of you, it’s time to allow the Lord to grow your roots.
The Lord wants to use this season to show you what it means to truly walk by faith. He wants you to learn how to listen to His voice. He wants you to be able to believe in Him, even when you face impossible situations. He wants you to persevere, so that you can actually see the amazing promise that He has for you.
This storm has a purpose. The wilderness is necessary for promise.
The story of the Israelites on the way to the promised land is such a perfect example of this.
When we read about their story in the book of Exodus, we see that God intentionally took them through the wilderness before leading them into the promised land.
So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle. (Exodus 13:18 NLT)
Now…for a few moments, I want us to focus on why God made this decision….
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.” (Exodus 13:17 NLT)
God uses the wilderness to teach us how to fight for our promise.
I want us to pay attention to this. Because we pray for God to lead us into our promised land, but we have no idea what it will actually take to get there. We don’t know the kind of strength or perseverance that we’ll need. We don’t know the kind of giants that we’ll be up against….but He does. He knows where we lack, and He knows exactly what we need. This is why we must learn to trust in Him, and this is why the wilderness is necessary for us to reach our promise.
Now…let’s continue to study the Israelites journey a bit. I want us to take note of how God used the wilderness to prepare them to fight for their promise.
The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people. (Exodus 13:21-22 NLT)
Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel would set up camp. In this way, they traveled and camped at the Lord’s command wherever he told them to go. Then they remained in their camp as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle. (Numbers 9:17-18 NLT)
The passage in Numbers continues by saying that sometimes the cloud lifted the next day, but other times, the cloud would settle for days, a month, or even a year.
So what does this tell us?
This tells us that as they journeyed in the wilderness, the Israelites had no idea what God’s plan was. And that is exactly how God wanted it to be. He wanted to teach them how to follow His lead ....so that He could fight for them…so that He could give them the victory that they were believing for.
“...The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (Exodus 14:14 NLT)
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT)
The wilderness season teaches us how to follow God.
But it’s much deeper than that. If we are to be victorious in fighting for our promise, we must be able to trust God with the impossible….
As the Israelites continued their journey, we see that they were repeatedly led into impossible situations. Like…being trapped between the Egyptians and the Red Sea. Like…being without food and water. Like…facing enemies much stronger than them. And, time after time, God came to their rescue….
He..split the Red Sea so that they could evade their enemies on dry ground. He…sent them food from heaven and water from rocks. He…fought for them, so that they could win impossible battles.
God led them through the wilderness so that they could truly understand that He was their provider…their defender…and all that they would ever need.
God leads us through the wilderness so that we can learn how to trust Him with the impossible.
If you feel like you are wandering in the wilderness…I want to encourage you today. This season isn’t to harm you…this season isn’t meant to break you. No…this season is meant to build you up…this season is meant to teach you how to fight for your promise.
The Lord your God is leading you back to your roots…He wants you to remember where your help comes from.
He is showing you how to dig deeper… He wants to teach you how to follow Him…how to depend on Him…and how to wait on Him.
Maybe you’re in a place where it feels like all the walls are caving in around you. Maybe it seems as if there is no hope…no light at the end of the tunnel. If that is the case, I want you to know that your God wants to do the impossible in your life. He wants to make a way where there is no way…a pathway through the wilderness… a river in the dry wasteland. So…let Him. Choose to put your life in His hands. Follow Him through the wilderness. Fight for your promise. And watch as He gives you the victory.
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19 NLT)
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me. Thank you for choosing me. And thank you for the promises that you have hidden in my heart. Today, I have been reminded that this difficult season is necessary for me to be victorious as I fight for my promise. But, I have also been reminded that I am not alone on this journey, because you are with me. You are here to provide for me. You are here to protect me. And you are here to fight for me. So today, I am making the decision to trust you in the wilderness. I will trust your plan. I will trust your instructions. And I will believe in your promise…even when it seems impossible..because there is nothing that is impossible for you, Father. You are a waymaker. You are a miracle worker. And I believe that you are working my situation out for my good. I love you, Father. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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