Your Wilderness Is Bigger Than You!预览

I almost didn't get to be a "twin dad."

When my wife and I nearly lost our twins halfway through her pregnancy, I was powerless to do anything but sit, wait, and pray. I couldn't perform the surgery that ended up saving her pregnancy. I couldn't swap places with my wife and take this incredible burden from her. In one of my life's most challenging and intense wilderness seasons, I came face-to-face with the reality that I was not in control. I didn't have enough power to get through this wilderness, but God did.

Like me waiting to hear the results of my wife's surgery, you may be in a wilderness where you do not have enough power to face the challenge in front of you. If you're feeling overwhelmed, I want to encourage you today.

You're right. You don't have the power to do this.

Before you throw your phone down because you feel like I've declared you hopeless, stay with me. I have some encouragement to accompany this honest assessment, and it comes from the moments right after Jesus' baptism.

In Mark 1, after Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, one translation says, "The Spirit immediately drove him into the wilderness." The high point of Jesus' life up to that point was immediately followed by the Holy Spirit propelling him into the wilderness. Perhaps your current wilderness came on the heels of a mountain-top experience. Life can be wild like that!

While in the wilderness, Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. Then, the devil tempted Him. Can you imagine how exhausted and hungry Jesus was physically? If you feel weary and starving in your wilderness, Jesus knows how you feel.

But, when the devil arrived and began to tempt Him, Jesus did something we must pay attention to and learn for ourselves. In response to each temptation, Jesus quoted Scripture, citing passages from the book of Deuteronomy. Even when the devil tried to twist a passage from the book of Psalms to fit his agenda, Jesus replied with the truth of God's word.

In Jesus' case and for you, the power for victory in the wilderness comes through God and His word. The fourth and final truth I want you to know is this: Your wilderness is too much for you, and that's why you need God's power. When you feel like this place you never planned to be is too big to handle, that does not mean you give up. That realization means you turn to Someone who has MUCH more power than you.

This wilderness experience may have left you disoriented. You may feel overwhelmed and inadequate to face this challenge. You may feel like giving up because you're exhausted. I want to remind you of what God's word tells us.

The devil is more powerful than you but not more powerful than Jesus. The wilderness may scare you, but it doesn't scare Jesus. The wilderness may feel bigger than you, but it's not too big for Jesus.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus understands our weakness and has experienced our temptations. We can go to Him in our time of need and find He can meet those needs through His mercy and grace.

I have prayed that this reading plan would meet your needs today and that you would be encouraged and strengthened by reading these truths over the last few days.

You may not see clearly in the wilderness, but I prayed God would clarify your vision. You may have felt distant from God, but I prayed that you would discover God's presence in the wilderness. Your struggles in the wilderness may have consumed you, but I prayed that you would discover that what is happening here is bigger than you. You may feel isolated in the wilderness, but I prayed that you would recognize that you are not the only one here - there are other people in this fight, too! You may feel like your wilderness is too much for you, but I prayed you would discover God's power and trust in His strength.

I hope you see that your wilderness is bigger than you. God is at work here in a way you cannot comprehend today, and you may not fully understand this side of heaven. But God will not waste this season; you can have hope today.

Your wilderness is bigger than you - and that's excellent news!

I have been honored to walk this journey with you over the past five days, and I'd love to continue encouraging you. Click here to access a complimentary copy of my popular guide, "Don't Give Up When It's Time to Change: 10 Things You Need to Hear When You're Ready to Quit."