Paul: Desert Daysናሙና

What is the “Desert”?

A desert is an arid place where there is little water. It is often desolate. Metaphorically, the desert is a place of preparation, waiting, solitude, and transition. It is where God takes us to mold and shape us into the people He wants us to be. God did this with Moses, who tended his father-in-law’s sheep for 40 years before leading the Israelites out of Egypt. He did this with David, who was anointed king at a young age but had to wait for years before ascending to the throne. He did it with Joseph, who spent two years in prison before being exalted to Egypt's second command. We, too, may find ourselves in the desert.

The desert can be a painful, lonely, and difficult place. It can be a time of grief, heartache, waiting and transition, hard times, and feeling distant from God. The desert can also come after we become so accustomed to God’s blessings that we forget to seek Him and instead want another ”firework show.” God uses our time in the desert to speak to us, to draw us closer to Himself, and to prepare us for the next phase of our journey.

John the Baptist spent years in solitude and obscurity before declaring, ”Behold, the Lamb of God!” Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry. In the same way, we, too, may need time in the desert to hear God’s voice and prepare for what’s ahead. Paul spent three years in the desert after encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus, studying the Torah and the Jewish scriptures and wrestling with whether Jesus was the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. During this time, he gained a deep understanding of the gospel. From what he learned in the desert, he eventually wrote the book of Romans, one of the most profound theological works in the New Testament.

Our perspective on waiting is perhaps one of the strongest ways our society is out of stride with the biblical worldview. Paul lived somewhere in the desert for three years, cut off from his former life. In quietness and obscurity, he spent over 1,000 days alone, thinking, praying, wrestling within, and listening to the Lord. As preacher and author Chuck Swindoll said, ”If he’d ever been addicted to popularity, he lost the urge to pursue it in those wilderness years. If one at one time he had become enamored with his spiritual significance, that self-inflated pride melted away in the warmth of God’s presence.”

If you find yourself in the desert today, take heart. God is with you and is using this time to prepare you for something greater. Use this time to draw close to Him, to seek His face, and to trust in His goodness. And remember, just as Paul spent three years in the desert long before writing the book of Romans, God is using this time to equip you for the work He has called you to do. Trust in His plan and know He will never leave or forsake you.