The WildernessSample

2nd day. Can we skip the wilderness?

No. No, you can’t skip the wilderness. When times get tough and you feel like you can’t take any more of the wilderness, then my friend, I have to be honest with you, take a moment and regather your thoughts. Remind yourself of the promises of God. Promises of His faithfulness, His mercy, His grace, His love, His holiness, His provision, His power, His strength, His majesty, His plans for your life etc. The God that we serve and that we belong to is an endless God and there is none like Him.

If you try to rush your way out of the wilderness, then the consequences will be too great to bear. Whatever you try to birth in the flesh, you will have to sustain in the flesh. Therefore, it is wiser to let God birth His promise for you through His Spirit because then His Spirit will sustain it through His grace. Let us take the children of Israel as an example. They tried to take the promised land by force and without the approval of God they were defeated, in fact, the enemy even drove them further back than they initially were. See Numbers 14:39-45. You cannot rush your way through the seasons of your life, you need to trust in God to accomplish the things He wants to accomplish in you. Jeremiah the prophet puts it in another way, He says “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so, he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.” (Jeremiah 18:3-4). Paul adds to the description of Jeremiah in his book to the Romans, “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” (Romans 9:20). The point these men of God made was that we as vessels of God cannot advise God on how to form us or rush the process of forming us.

God has a purpose for us in the wilderness and it is in His best interest to guide us through. For us to become more Christ-like in our attitudes, mindset, actions, and words we need some refining and some pruning. Romans 5:3-5 states that we should glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

That is why it is wise to endure the wilderness season, to allow God to accomplish His will in our hearts and characters, so that when the dry season ends, we are equipped and ready to walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord.