“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands” (Deuteronomy 8:2 NIV).
I believe that there are times in our lives when we too can feel like we are wandering in the wilderness just like the Israelites. The Lord made them wander through the wilderness to humble them, and they also learned a lot about how God would help them if they called upon Him when they were in dire need. He provided them with water and food. Their clothes did not wear out. (Deut.8:4)
When we feel as if the world is tumbling down around us, we too must remember that God is with us. Our wildernesses may be illness, depression, lack of money to pay bills, work issues, or problems occurring with the family, too name a few. But even in all these problems, God is there to help us and encourage us. We can learn a lot about ourselves as we are going through our own wilderness walk.
If you feel like you are on that journey than take time to evaluate how closely you have been in touch with the Lord before you were forced to walk in the wilderness. According to this passage the Lord allows you to be in the wilderness to test you to know what is in your heart.
How are you handling your wilderness trip? Are you blaming God or asking Him to give you strength to handle whatever is around the corner? Are you trusting Him to take care of you? While the Israelites were wandering through the wilderness the Lord was with them every step of the way and when they were of the right heart He allowed them to enter the promised land.
On our journey through life there will be many walks in the wilderness, Keep your eyes on the Lord and He will lead you out of your wilderness and someday to your ultimate destination: Heaven.
Dear Lord,
Help us as we walk through our wildernesses. Give us strength to meet the tests and have our hearts tuned into your wisdom to get us through the times when we feel as if we can walk no further. We know that you will be with us and that you will never fail us if we call upon you.
In Jesus' name,
Amen
