Wilderness
Dear Hope Church Family,
Our men’s and women’s Bible studies have been studying Revelation this year and have often spent time reflecting on the theme of wilderness that threads its way from Genesis to Revelation. Wilderness often gets associated with discipline and difficulty because God “sentenced” Israel to wander there after their lack of faith. But what we know about God is that he disciplines his children because He loves them and desires their good (Hebrews 12:6-11). Discipline isn’t punitive; it’s restorative and preparatory. God sent his children into the wilderness because they needed to learn faith and be restored as he alone met their needs. But he didn’t just send them there and come back when they had “learned their lesson.” He went with them. The wilderness has always been a place where God has heard and seen and dwelt amongst his people, where he restores the weary.
During Lent, we spend forty days “in the wilderness” (like Jesus 40 days and Israel’s 40 years), stripping away distractions or comforts, not in an act of asceticism, but so that we can be restored and prepared. Israel was being prepared to enter and conquer the Promised Land. Jesus was being prepared for the journey to the cross. In the wilderness, both experienced God’s strength and provision for what lay ahead firsthand, living it moment by moment.
Maybe you’ve chosen to remove something from your life during this time or you’re adding something that directs you to God. Or maybe you, like me, just came out of another wilderness period and didn’t feel like you could – or needed to – choose another. Or maybe you missed the arrival of Lent altogether. That’s okay. We have 26 Lenten days left and it’s not too late to find restoration and preparation. If you haven’t already adopted a Lenten practice, I encourage you to read this Psalm daily with me:
Psalm 63: A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
they shall be a portion for jackals.
But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
Blessings,
Sarah