Wilderness This

Have you ever been lost in a desert? It's all fun and games until the mirages start trying to eat you.

Life isn't always easy. Not always like eating frosted cake. Sometimes you fail, sometimes things fall apart, sometimes it hurts, and sometimes you feel all alone. The frustrating thing is when it seems like God has lead you into the wilderness, and then just walked off and left you there. Haha, funny trick, now you're STUCK IN THE DESERT!

We could be wildernessing it for many reasons - sometimes our fault, sometimes not. Kinda like those Israelites after leaving Egypt, where they wandered around the wilderness for decades. It's interesting how many of them had a terrible time of it, living in bitterness and isolation from God, and not recognizing how He'd just rescued them and was sustaining them. But others had the most intense experiences with God of any who have ever walked the earth. Let's talk Moses. How's this for a wilderness experience:

Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.” The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you....But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.” (Exodus 33.18-23 - [whole story]).

Moses got to see God. And after, his friends were scared to come near him for a while because his face literally glowed. He had many powerful and personal encounters with God in the wilderness. So did Joshua, who was pretty much like a crack addict (he couldn't get enough of God's presence). So the key is not whether or not you're in the wilderness. It's what you're living for while there. If you are primarily focused on getting goodies from God (the good life in the promised land), then your wilderness experience will be miserable. But if you don't care about what God can give and do for you, and you simply seek after Him with your whole heart, letting it be enough just to hear His voice and see Him, then your wilderness time will be out of this world.