Have you ever went through a wilderness experience? This is a phrase that we often use to describe those seasons when we seem to be wandering aimlessly. All we really know is that we are not where we want to be and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.
In Numbers 14:34 we read that Israel is going to spend 40 years wandering in the wilderness. 1 year for every day the spies spent in the land of Canaan. The reason for Israel's wandering is the need for an unbelieving generation to die out and a new generation to rise up and enter the land that God had promised to give them.
There are a couple of things that I want to mention as we begin this journey:
#1 - Just because you are in the wilderness doesn't mean you are being punished.
#2 - You can (and should) experience God during this season.
There is a danger of always assuming that God treats us exactly the same way He treated Israel. We tend to look at the wilderness experience through a lens of God's anger rather than understanding that it was necessary for a faith filled generation to enter into the Promised Land. The generation that spied out the land of Canaan (with the exception of Joshua & Caleb) did not believe God was able to deliver what He promised. Therefore, for Israel to become all that she was meant to be meant that a new generation had to take their place. This doesn't mean that your wilderness experience is due to a lack of faith. There are times that God leads us into the wilderness as a way to purify our faith that has nothing to do with punishment but to help bring you to a place of excellence. The sad part of all of this is thinking that God is working out of anger rather than understanding His heart to have a people that are full of faith claim what is rightfully theirs.
The other point I want to make is understanding that you can/should experience God during this time. Israel did not cease experiencing God because they were wandering in the wilderness.
God was still Providing.
God was still Protecting.
God was still Present.
They never ceased being His people. They were still able to worship Him, know Him, and experience Him. Why? Because another generation needed to see God moving in their midst so that they could take hold of the promises of God for themselves.
I see a generation right now that is rising up to claim their inheritance. Far too long the church has wandered aimlessly in a place of mediocrity. We haven't claimed the promises of God for our own generation because we have lacked the faith to trust the Lord with the outcome. However, the past generation is experiencing God even though they may not understand that it's for the generation that follows. What is happening (in my opinion) is that the new generation is seeing God at work now so that they can ask the questions that need to be asked, seek the promises of God for their own generation, and can have a hunger placed inside of them for experiencing more.
Please understand that I'm not being negative about the older generations. Most of them were handed down the faith that they currently possess. However, what I have seen is the need to protect what was handed down rather than take that faith to a new level. Yes...we are experiencing God now but we are re-claiming what is rightfully ours. This is a necessary transition in church life because we need to grab hold of God's heart for the kingdom rather than just circling the wagons to protect what we have here.
One thing I have noticed in Scripture is that every time God brings about a great deliverance, or declares a great victory, is that there is still a claiming that must take place. God promised the land of Canaan but it was up to Israel to possess it. The church of today has allowed the promises of God to go unclaimed. We have yet to possess all that was promised to the followers of Christ. That is why a new generation is rising up that have no desire to see God placed in a box. They are beginning to understand the fullness of His grace, His power, and His unconditional love. They are the ones who will come out of the wilderness and stake claim to the Promised Land. And it is our job to teach them what we know and have experienced so that they faith may be deepened. They can build on our successes and failures. They can take this faith to a greater level of experience and power. The generation that follows can learn from our wilderness wanderings so that they don't have to learn the same lessons that we had to learn.
I realize that I have been all over the place with this entry but there is a need to see the wilderness from every angle. There is a part of these wanderings that is for us and there is a part of it for others. There are lessons we need to learn and their are lessons that we get to teach. There is also times of refreshing that we can experience as we go through these "dry" seasons. God allowed Moses to see water flow from a rock. Don't you think that God is able to bring refreshment to you during this time? It's my belief that He wants you to tap into these fountains. God wants you to be able to draw from the wells that He has placed within you. In this way you never lose a moment, you never waste an opportunity to experience Him, and you never miss a chance to hear His voice.
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