Hanging out in the wilderness

Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.  –Deuteronomy 8:2 (NIV)

Well, the Good Lord didn’t see fit to end the pandemic on Resurrection Sunday. That doesn’t mean He can’t or that He won’t yet do it all in one fell swoop, but apparently his purposes have not yet been fulfilled. So for now, the strangeness of this season continues.
 
I've heard this COVID-19 situation likened to a Sabbath, a resting from our normal routines. I saw it that way in the early going, tried to look at it philosophically, see the good, take a breath, draw near to God. I will confess at this point, however, that I'm mostly just getting really annoyed. This is feeling less like a Sabbath and more like an extended time in the wilderness.
 
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”  -1 Kings 19:11 (NIV)
 
So what's the difference between Sabbath and wilderness? I think it comes down to control. I didn't choose the current circumstances, I'm at the mercy of decision-makers who control my movements and the release of information, and I have no idea when things will go back to normal, whatever "normal" turns out to be when this is all done. God doesn’t owe me answers in any of that. But being the analytical type, I have to ask: What do I see in Scripture about what happens during “wilderness time”?
 
Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights.  –Matthew 4:1-2 (MSG)
 
I considered four examples – the nation of Israel, David (1 Samuel, 21-24, Psalms 7, 27, 31, 34, 52), Elijah (1 Kings 19), and Jesus (Matthew 4). Here are some observations:

  • God may well be the One leading us into the wilderness.

  • It is highly likely we will encounter testing in the wilderness.

  • We will be vulnerable in the wilderness and the enemy will try to take advantage of that.

  • We can express our doubts, fears, and complaints to God in the wilderness.

  • The wilderness will not be easy.

  • God will provide in the wilderness.

  • God will make Himself known in the wilderness, but maybe not in the way we expected.

  • Valuable tools for weathering wilderness time are prayer, fasting, and scripture.

  • Our wilderness season will end at the proper time.

  • We will emerge from the wilderness equipped for our next God-directed assignment.

 
We’ve been praying for revival. We didn’t specify how God should bring that about because revival is the work of the Holy Spirit. If this pandemic is the prelude to revival, then so be it. I pray I can take that walk in the wilderness by the grace of God, pass my test by the grace of God, and come back ready to go where He sends me by the grace of God.
 
Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege. In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.  –Psalm 31:21-22 (NIV)

Scott Thompson