Wandering in the Wilderness
By Chaunte Bluford
"For the LORD your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing."' - Deuteronomy 2:7 (NASB)
A few years ago, I was reading through the book of Numbers, which in Hebrew it is referred to as "in the wilderness". Prior to reading this a friend advised me that I was having a wilderness experience in my own life. It took me a while to process because I was not sure what I was supposed to be doing in this season. Until God showed me, I was in a place of preparation. He wanted to give me instruction on how to live when I entered my own promised land. He started revealing things about me that I needed to change, and He showed me things that had to be removed, like my old views of myself, Him, and my calling. Instead of wandering, God was showing me how to be still and stop thinking I can figure it out on my own, instead I needed to follow His leadings. One of the things he revealed was being led has not always been my strong suit. I often hear God asking me, “Why do you kick against the goads?” Then I am referred back to Acts 26:14, when Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus. Jesus knocked Paul off his high horse and introduced Himself to a man who was fighting against the plan of the true living God. Resistance can be an automatic reflex for me at times and I am finding it is what keeps me in the wilderness season longer than anticipated, but it is time for me to stop fighting against God’s plan.
I was always so amazed at how much the children of Israel complained and resisted the instruction of Moses in the wilderness. God had done so much, He was feeding them with manna from Heaven, providing water from rocks, their shoes or clothes never wore out, He had delivered into their hands every enemy they had to confront, yet they continued to be disobedient. They constantly blamed Moses for taking them out of Egypt, where now they perceived their lives were better in bondage. Moses constantly had to intercede on their behalf, so God would not kill them in the wilderness. They were blessed and did not realize it, because they were always longing for their comfort zone. I had to acknowledge I was no better than them. God has freed me, but I have been so afraid of the unknown I longed for the familiar. It is very hard moving forward, always looking back on yesterday. It has been imperative for me to remember, even if I am unsure as to where God is taking me, He has already promised me I would not lack a thing as I travel. He sees me and He is with me and His goal is for me to enter the life He promised for me. I don’t want to be stuck wandering in circles, because I am too afraid to let go of the past. I don’t want to miss out on my future.
Are there people, places or things God has rescued you from that you still long for from your past?
Are you resisting God’s plan because you fear the unknown?
The more we resist, the more we complain and the more we look back the longer we will wander in circles. It is time to break the cycles. It is time to get to our God designed destination. “How do we do this?” I am glad you asked. We need to simply trust God. Trust when He says “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Trust that His word is a lamp to our feet and the light on our path. His eyes are in every place watching over the evil and the good. Trust that His plans are not to harm us, but for us to have a hope and a future. Most importantly, trust that all things are working together for our good even when it does not look that way.
Be Encouraged!