Walking the Desert

Have you ever had a time in your life when you felt you were walking in the desert? When it was so dry in your life that you could almost taste the sand and feel the heat? That was how I felt about 2 weeks ago when we were waiting to hear about where we would be going. I was struggling with wondering if we were really where God wanted us, because if we were, why were there so many obstacles now? Why did I feel like we were out here in the Sahara alone? Does anyone know what I am talking about? You try to remember where you must have turned left when you should have turned right. You find yourself looking back at the signals and wondering if you imagined all the signs as if they were an oasis that was only a mirage.

This is where I found myself when ironically we had our Spiritual Emphasis Week at school, but it wasn't really ironic at all. I feel that it was God's answer to my spiritual thirst. During the morning sessions with Iva May and just the ladies I heard Iva talk about the need to not just go through the motions in our daily quiet times (as I had been doing lately), but to really reflect on what God was saying to us through His Word and our prayer time. She encouraged us to start a Bible journal that helps us to see the lessons God is showing us each day during our quiet time. Although I have often had prayer journals, I never even thought of having a Bible journal. How wonderful it is to reflect on what is truly important.

The part for me most of all that hit home was when her husband, Stan, in the evening session talked to us about the Israelites being in the desert. He read the passage in Numbers 9 that talked of the Lord using a cloud by day and fire by night to guide the Israelites. That when the cloud/fire lifted from the temple, day or night, a day, month or year, they were to follow it. They were never forewarned of where they were going or even when they were going. They were to merely be obedient in the call. He pointed out how difficult that must have been after a long day of traveling when they were tired and had finally eaten and put the children to bed and then the pillar of fire moves beckoning them to follow. I am sure they probably wanted to say no way, but they realized that without the great I AM, they were nothing. Without Him guiding them, they would be lost in the desert. But what truly grabbed me in this lesson was when we read the passage in Joshua 10 where the Israelites marched all day and night with Joshua. Then they proceeded to fight all of the next day, and when Joshua asked God to stop the sun they continued fighting through the "night" into the next day. How could they do that? Because God had conditioned them in the desert for 40 years, following the cloud by day and the pillar by night. It was not for nothing, this intense training. God had a purpose.

And so I know God has a purpose for us when we go through those tough times in our lives of trials and tribulations. God is not just testing our faith or showing us how much we need to depend on Him. He is preparing us for what lies ahead. And as the Lord showed Hagar in the desert when she cried out for mercy, the Oasis is right in front of us if we will only open our eyes and see. His Word is that Oasis and our prayers are that cry. So with each of these moments in the desert I pray that God draws me ever closer to Him knowing that He is the eternal spring in a barren and thirsty land.