7 More Hebrew Words Every Christian Should KnowSample

MIDBAR: Which means DESERT

Growing up in Australia, this is what I knew as the outback. It was flat. The ground was hard and barren. Temperatures in summer soared above 110 Fahrenheit. The air was hot and dry. When the Bible describes the wilderness or the desert of Israel, this is the image I have. Sometimes, when life gets hard and barren and it feels like God has disappeared, Christians will say they’re in the desert. While we see this as a bad thing, the Bible says the desert is where God lives and speaks. Throughout the Bible we see that the desert is where He spoke to Abraham, Moses, the Israelites, Isaiah, and on through Jesus. In fact, the Hebrew word for desert is midbar, which also means “the place of the word.” And midbar shares the same root word as diber, which means the “Holy of Holies.”

When we’re in the desert or wilderness, we’re actually closer to God than ever because in the desert we realize that we need to rely on Him for survival. Do you feel like you’re in the desert or wilderness right now? Is life beating down on you? Don’t pray for God to take you out of the desert—pray instead that He will hear His voice in the desert, and that in your wilderness you will find His presence, grace, and provision.

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