THE WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE

Spending time in the wilderness is nothing new to Christians. There are times when it seems everything is going great in our lives. There are other times when it seems everything that could go wrong goes wrong. It is during these times we feel we are marching across a desert without water, no shade and just dust and heat. We feel isolated and alone. We need to understand one thing. In the life of a believer, God has a purpose for allowing us to go through a “wilderness experience.” I will share with you three of my own personal “wilderness experiences.” One of my “worst wilderness experiences” came to me in August of 1996. I was diagnosed with cancer and it seemed that time stood still. It was hard for me to focus on anything except I had cancer. I felt so alone even though I knew that I had God, a multitude of Christian friends and family that were standing by me and supporting me. No one could walk this path for me. My turn had come to be tested” on the backside of the desert. This was a time that I had to literally walk by faith. I did not know if I was going to live or die. All I knew was that God had a plan and purpose for my life that I could not see at the moment.

Another wilderness experience came when my husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2001. At the time we had been married for almost 44 years. I could not fathom losing him. I asked God to heal him but God did not heal him. My husband took his heavenly flight to heaven on March 31, 2004. I was at peace knowing his suffering was over and he was in a better place and free from all suffering. Yet, I still had agonizing pain in my heart and felt so alone. I wondered how I could go on without him. I put my faith and trust in God and started taking one day at a time. Each day got a little easier. Six months after his death, Hurricane Ivan came roaring into our area. Its effect was total devastation. I didn’t know where to begin or how to deal with all this chaos. All of my friends, neighbors and family members were dealing with their own problems and devastation. I prayed for wisdom and knowledge to help me make the right decisions. There are always “scammers” that come pouring into areas that are hard hit by hurricanes, tornados and flood. God helped me make all the right decisions.

Hurricane Dennis came roaring into our area just 9 months after Hurricane Ivan. My yard looked like a bomb had been dropped on it. There were trees on the ground everywhere. To compound my “wilderness experience,” my brother in law died on the very day Hurricane Dennis hit our area. Now, I had a funeral of a loved one to attend in the midst of all this turmoil. It took a crew from Arkansas two days just to remove the trees that had been blown down in my yard. When Dennis was done, it would go down as one of the most powerful events in the month of July 2005 with 150 mph winds at its peak. I wondered where God was in all this mess. I found myself sitting in a lawn chair in my back yard feeling totally stunned, overwhelmed, isolated and alone. Tears flowed easily.  I knew my husband would know exactly what to do and I didn’t have a clue. Oh, how I missed him and his ability to comfort me in stressful times and make the right decisions. I was reminded of the story of Job. He lost everything in one day. He was stricken with painful boils. Yet, Job continued to trust God. For Job’s obedience, trust and faith God restored to him more in the end than he had in the beginning.

THE WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE

Part 2

In the Bible, the number 40 always represents God testing man. Moses spent the first 40 years of his life in Pharaoh’s palace as a Prince over Egypt. One day he killed an Egyptian soldier and had to flee for his life. (Exodus 2:11-15) NIV He wound up on the backside of the desert tending his father in law’s sheep. (Exodus 3:1) KJV Moses stayed in the desert for 40 years. (Acts 7:30) KJV He went from being a Prince over Egypt to being a poor shepherd taking care of sheep. During this time God taught Moses to be a leader and a servant for Him. At the end of these 40 years, God called him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. (Exodus 3:10) KJV Moses spent the next 40 years of his life wandering around in the desert leading a group of complaining people. This was a progression of  “learning” and “testing” for Moses. During this time God gave Moses the Ten Commandments for the nation of Israel on Mt. Sinai. (Exodus 20:1-17) KJV

There is one thing that we can count on and that is God does nothing in the believer’s life that does not have a purpose in it. Keep in mind that Moses went from living in a palatial palace to living in the desert with sheep. He was also working for someone else. No doubt Moses probably had accepted the fact that he would spend the rest of his life in the desert-tending sheep. But, God had a plan and purpose for Moses.

·        The first 40 years, Moses learned to be somebody.

·        The second 40 years, Moses learned to be a nobody.

·        The last 40 years, Moses learned to help everybody.

What is the greatest temptation that faces Christians in a long time in the wilderness? It is the danger to drift slowly from the Lord. It begins slowly and then begins to mushroom out of control if it isn’t checked. God is right there with us when we are going through a “wilderness experience.” God tests our faith during these times. He is training and developing character in us. If we find ourselves on the backside of the desert and it is not for sinful reasons, then we can rejoice because God is preparing us for something that only we are able to accomplish because of His special preparation in our lives.

I started a ladies Bible study group after my bout with cancer. I did not want to do it. I had never taught a class of any kind in my life. I gave God all kind of excuses on why I was not the one to lead a Bible study group. Then the Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance a scripture. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us? And I said, here I am, send me.” (Isaiah 6:8) KJV I said, “Yes, Lord I will go and be your servant in whatever you want me to do.” I am thankful for all of my wilderness experiences and for obeying God for His calling on my life. My life has been greatly blessed and enriched by the multitude of women that God has allowed to cross my path in our Bible study group over the years.