Wilderness Seasons

Christians often will say they are “in a wilderness season,” typically implying a season in which circumstances feel stagnant, quiet, or barren. What is imperative is that we do not confuse the Wilderness with hopelessness, for the quiet is a gift. The quiet can be serene and severe all at once. The quiet helps reveal what the heart wants to say and what the heart needs to hear from the One Who made it, for there is the space to intentionally listen for His kind and gentle whisper.

Midbar

In most cases, through God’s Word, a call or drive into the Wilderness almost always came before a major encounter with the Lord, a preparation for an assignment, or an intentional time set apart for God’s instructions. We see this in action through Exodus 3:1-2,

“Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.” Exodus 3:1-2

In Hebrew, the word for wilderness used here is Midbar, which according to Strong’s lexicon is defined as “1. a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven) 2.(by implication) a desert 3. (also) speech (including its organs)” (meaning the mouth of God).” It is not only the place where Moses encountered the Burning Bush, also used to describe God appearing to Elijah in 1 Kings 19. The solitude of the wilderness enables us to be removed from distractions so that we may hear the mouth of God speak. Remember that prayer is a partnership and prayer is a conversation with God; don’t merely talk to or at God, talk with Him.

From Wilderness to Wonder

God often will permit the circumstances of a wilderness, both figurative and literal, to be the conduit for calling. St. Patrick was born Maewyn Succat in Britain in the late 300’s AD. At sixteen, he was captured by Irish raiders and forced into slavery for years. Though he had been raised with the knowledge of Jesus Christ, he had never engaged with the faith of his family. Though many of those captured by the Barbaric Slaveholders were killed, Maewyn was spared and in time, was assigned to be a shepherd. It was in this place that he began to seek God, and through that season, the foundation of his faith was forged. In his autobiographical book, Confessions, he recounted, “I didn’t deserve at all that the Lord would grant such great grace, after hardships and troubles, after captivity, and after so many years among those people. It was something which, when I was young, I never hoped for or even thought of. After I arrived in Ireland, I tended sheep every day, and I prayed frequently during the day. Increasingly, the love of God increased, and my sense of awe before God. Faith grew, and my spirit was moved, so that in one day I would pray up to one hundred times, and at night perhaps the same. I even remained in the woods and on the mountain, and I would rise to pray before dawn in snow and ice and rain. I never felt the worse for it, and I never felt lazy – as I realize now, the spirit was burning in me at that time.” (15-16). Maewyn was led by the Spirit in a dream concerning a ship one day that would enable him passage back to Britain to return to his family. Years later, the Holy Spirit would ask him to return to the same people that once enslaved him, and in doing so, countless lives were brought to eternal freedom. His ministry in Ireland lasted over forty years, establishing Churches and spreading the hope, love, and salvation of Christ Jesus. The time St. Patrick spent in his wilderness was not barren, but rather the birthplace of the ministry entrusted to him. We can look at our brother in Christ, St. Patrick, for his courage, faith, and someone who fully surrendered his life for the calling and purpose of the Kingdom.

Thriving, Not Just Surviving the Wilderness

Your experience through the Wilderness is very dependent on your attitude, your heart posture, and your willingness to surrender. Take the opportunity to serve as a pivotal time to inquire of the Lord what He is teaching you through the silences, through the heaviness, or through hardships. Don’t be afraid to ask God which Fruit of the Spirit is being fostered or cultivated so that the fruit from this hardship may be sweet and not bitter. Know that this is a time to partner with God and to intentionally seek to experience with Him, not outside of Him. If you find that He is not speaking as often as you would like, do not lose heart. Dig into His word, remain constant in worship and praise, and steward the assignment well. When we adopt the perspective of knowing this serves a bigger purpose, we find we can endure because we are aligning with Him, not against Him. Rest assured that your testimony will be one that can offer others hope one day, for the wilderness is not the final destination, but it is a vital part of the journey.

Sources:

NASB

Blue Letter Bible

Confessions, St. Patrick