Get Me Out of the Wilderness!Sýnishorn

Have you ever woken up one day and asked yourself “how on earth did I get here?”

In several talks I’ve given with people of all ages, I’ve asked a similar question. “How many of you are where you thought you’d be at your current age?” Very few hands go up. Most people are living in places and working at jobs they didn’t see when they imagined their future.

You may even feel this way about your current situation of crisis and adversity. “How on earth did I end up in the wilderness?!” If you didn’t see a crazy turn into disorientation and disappointment coming, you are not alone.

Moses knows those feelings. The famous figure in the Old Testament unexpectedly ended up in the wilderness too. After he killed an Egyptian in a fit of rage (for beating a fellow Israelite no less), Moses fled Egypt and ran into the wilderness of Midian.

At 40 years old, Moses had his whole life ahead of him. But, alone in the desert, far from both his own people and the people who raised him, I’m sure Moses felt like he’d ruined everything.

However, Moses wasn’t so caught up in his own inner turmoil that he missed an opportunity to do the right thing. He rescued seven young women from some shepherds who kept them from accessing a well for their animals. This act of compassion and courage changed Moses’ life. The father of the girls welcomed Moses into their community, and in time, Moses married one of those seven girls, Zipporah. Zipporah and Moses had a son named Gershom.

Over the next 40 years, Moses served as a shepherd in the wilderness. While Moses might not have known it, he was being prepared for his life calling. That story begins in Exodus 3 at a burning bush.

I encourage you to read today’s verses because I want you to consider how God might work in your life in a similar way that He did in Moses’ life. You may wonder how you ended up in the wilderness and why you’re here today. I don’t know that answer either, but I do know that throughout the Bible, God used the wilderness to prepare men and women for their purpose and calling.

Many people have said, “you cannot take people somewhere you have never been yourself.” This is the reason why we trust a ranger in a national park or a guide on a tour. We believe they’ve been where they’re leading us, therefore we can trust them to show us the way.

Similarly, when we’re in the wilderness, we need someone well-acquainted with the wilderness to guide us through this scary territory. Moses would go on to lead the people through the desert from Egypt to the Promised Land because he had spent 40 years in the wilderness - both the literal wilderness of Midian and the spiritual wilderness it represented as well.

Have you stopped to consider that your current wilderness adventure might be bigger than you? Is it possible God is allowing you to go through this season, so you are equipped to serve others who end up in similar adversity? What if you are being prepared for a purpose and calling that is bigger than you imagine through what God does in your soul during this time?

If God used 40 years alone in Midian to prepare Moses for 40 years together with the people of Israel in the desert, then God might be at work in ways you cannot see right now. But, just because you cannot see or understand doesn’t mean you cannot trust Him.

We serve a God who wastes nothing, including our pain and a crisis. God is at work in the wilderness and if we will remain open and attentive to His movement here, who knows what we might see and what He might do?

If you enjoyed this reading plan, you’ll love my guide on overcoming the temptation to quit. Click here get complementary access to it: Don’t Give Up When It’s Time to Change: 10 Things You Need to Hear When You’re Ready to Quit.