God is Faithful in The Wilderness

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan (Matt 4:1-11). The people of Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years.
What is your wilderness?
Your wilderness may look like a prodigal child, a cancer diagnosis, a divorce, prolonged mental health challenges, or the loss of your best friend. The circumstances of our wildernesses may look different, and the crisis of our hearts may hurt to various degrees. Thankfully, the Bible gives us hope for our time in the wilderness.
The first two chapters of Deuteronomy recap the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to where they were – just about to cross into the land God had promised them. As I read these chapters a few days ago, I thought, “This is easy reading; just review. I know this story.” God stopped me in my tracks, per se, and I sat in awe of God’s goodness, as revealed in those two chapters.
Though familiar, the story took on a new, fresh, and exciting meaning as my focus shifted from the struggle of the wilderness to God’s incredible strength, provision, and protection. I got to thinking of how many of us are walking (or perhaps have walked) through wilderness seasons of our lives. What is true of God, the LORD, the Great I AM in the days of Moses, is true of God today!

Here are a few of the characteristics of God that His Spirit brought to my attention as I read these chapters.

1. God is faithful to His promises (Deut. 1:8). All these years later, God had not forgotten His promise to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob (Gen. 17:1-8). He would give them possession of this land and make them a great nation (Deut. 1:8,10).
2. God goes before His children (Deut. 1:30). The Israelites had complained, rebelled, responded in fear, and even talked of desiring to go back to Egypt where they had been slaves (Deut. 1:26-28). They had forgotten that the Lord went before them. He had led them and been with them every step of the way!
3. God fights for His children (Deut. 1:30). How had the people been freed from the Egyptians? God fought for their freedom. He had done amazing, incredible things before their very eyes! He was their Freedom Fighter and ultimate Deliverer.
4. God carries His children (Deut.1:30). What a picture of tender care and compassion. “The Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.” We don’t have to drag ourselves through the wilderness. In our weakest moments, God’s power is most brilliantly displayed (2 Cor. 12:9).
5. God has a purpose for all the detours, climbs, circles and stumbles (Deut. 2:1-2). Moses says, “For many days, we travelled around Mount Seir.” They were literally walking in circles! Sound familiar and relatable?
6. God is the source of all blessings (Deut. 2:7). Although we may do the work with our hands, God is the One who gives us strength and provides all we need in the wilderness.
7. God knows our paths/journeys (Deut. 2:7). Not a single part of our stories surprises God. He knows what every chapter of our lives holds (Ps. 139:1-18).
8. God is with His children (Deut. 2:7). Those forty years, God had been with the Israelites. Whatever “your forty” (as Pastor Jeremy has said lately) looks like, God is with you too.
9. God knows what we need when we need it and is able to provide it (Deut. 2:7). The end of this verse says plainly, “You have lacked nothing.”
10. God provides victory over our enemies (Deut. 2:33,36). One kingdom at a time, following the Lord’s leading, the Israelites were having victory over powerful kings and nations. “The LORD our God gave all into our hands” (Deut. 2:36b).

You know your circumstances, and you know the crisis of your heart. How will you choose to respond? Will you choose to trust the Lord in your wilderness? We can’t trust someone we don’t know. But God reveals Who He is in the pages of Scripture. This is one of many passages we can look to and see God’s heart and character. Our hearts are drawn to Him as we marinate our minds on His goodness, faithfulness, and love. His perfect love (and God is the only one who loves us perfectly) casts out all fear (1 Jn. 4:18). There is no one like our God. I pray that His Word will encourage you and His Spirit will empower you to choose a Christ-like response.
Challenge: Read a passage of Scripture and note what you learn about God’s heart and character. Share these eternal truths with a friend! Psalm 34, John 1, or Ephesians 1 could be good places to start.