Surviving Your Wilderness Season With God

A Journey Through The Wilderness Season With God

There is no way around it, God’s people will be assigned time in wilderness seasons. Just as we see in Exodus, God liberated His people from slavery in Egypt and out through the wilderness, He will likewise do the same with us. So what can we learn from the examples found in the Old Testament when God brought His people through the wilderness? Can we find ourselves relating to the Israelites during our journey? How does God use this type of season with His people today? And what can we do to ensure that we not only survive our season in the wilderness but also receive the lessons and wisdom God has appointed for us to learn along the way? 

When it comes to wilderness seasons, our battle truly is fought in our mind. An incorrect perspective can make all the difference between getting stuck wandering in the wilderness or passing through it in a timely manner. If we can properly align our heart posture to what God is seeking to do in this season, we will find the process a lot more bearable and beneficial. One thing I’ve learned is that when God appoints you a wilderness season, there is no amount of prayer or fasting that will get you out of it. This tells me that there is an absolute purpose behind this season God wants to see come to pass. Here are a few things to keep in mind while journeying through your season in the wilderness.

Fear Beckons Us To Turn Back To What Is Familiar

God’s people are commanded to trust Him in all situations and circumstances. After all, faith is made manifest through our relying on, abiding in, and trusting in God. Our faith should never be situational, and there is nothing quite like a wilderness season to reveal where our faith stands. This picture is perfectly painted in the story in Exodus of the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness. When God liberated His people from captivity in Egypt, there were still many Israelites who did not trust in what God was doing. This is undoubtedly seen when, not long after their Exodus out of Egypt, many of the Israelites doubted what God was doing and complained. Even proclaiming that they would rather just go back to Egypt, back to familiarity. When I read over this part of the story, I can’t help but see past their complaints and further into what was going on within the hearts of God’s people. I see a people who were scared, unsure, and fearful of the unknown. I don’t know about you, but I can definitely relate to the Israelites. 

There will be times throughout our walk with the Lord that will call for our faith in who God is and in His promises to override the fear of the unknown. And as we see with the Israelites, one of the first signs that our faith in God and what He is doing is being tested is when the fear to turn back to familiarity comes rushing in. Our God is not a God of stagnation, He is a God of increase, as He is continually pruning areas of us and our lives to make way for more abundant production of fruit. As God takes us through our wilderness season, we will surely have to withstand the spirit of fear and doubt that will tempt us to question what it is God is doing. How do we do this? Look no further than to 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

We often find fear where there is uncertainty, and though we may not always perceive what it is God is doing, we do know God’s character. Though our pilgrimage through the wilderness may provoke us to fear, we look to the one who is ordering and directing our steps. When we truly come to know God’s character, we will be able to look at every situation with a renewed perspective, absent of fear and uncertainty. Put aside time to learn about the Attributes Of God so that you can walk with God in faith through the wilderness season, not turning back to what God is delivering you from.

God Will Be Our Guide

17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. Exodus 13:17-18.

When God takes us through wilderness seasons, we exhaust ourselves by struggling to understand why. Why God is allowing us to go through such a trying season of testing our faith in Him, our heart posture during the journey, and our obedience in following His divine route? It is our human nature to seek to understand what is happening, why it is happening, and when the conditions are anything but desirable, we want to find the quickest route out of the uncomfortableness of the wilderness. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but that is often not God’s plan, just like the quickest route wasn’t God’s plan for the Israelites. 

The story in Exodus illustrates for us that though God may take us the lengthy or difficult way, it is never in vain, there is always a purpose. We as humans are stubborn, prideful, and quick to resist circumstances that call for us to humble ourselves to allow God to break us down in order to build us up stronger and wiser. There will be seasons in life when God will pull us aside, isolate us, and cut out everything we rely on in order for us to totally surrender to Him to allow Him to have His way with us.

When the fiery furnace of affliction gets intense, much like the scorching sun in the desert, The Lord will be our covering of protection, our pillar of cloud. When we can’t see what is ahead, much like the darkness of the night in the desert, The Lord will be our pillar of fire lighting up the path He is calling us to walk through. So, though we may not know what is ahead of us or the direction God is aiming to take us, or even the final destination we are heading towards, in faith, we will let God guide us through.

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. Exodus 13:21

And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are among these people; that You, Lord, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. Numbers 14:14

Our God Who Provides

 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

13 So it was that quail came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. 14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. Exodus 16:11-15.

During the Israelites’ wandering through the wilderness time and time again, God demonstrated His trustworthiness to His people. God provided food for their needs, He covered them from the scorching of the sun with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to light their path. God even ensured that the sandals on their feet and the clothes on their backs did not fall apart or crumble over those 40 years. Surely our God is a God who provides for His people. Because wilderness seasons often involve stepping out in faith to follow God’s leading to a destination, we rarely have foreknowledge of, it too, can bring about times when provision and needs can only be satisfied by God and Him alone. This goes for our physical needs like shelter, food, clothing, or funds for upcoming bills, but it doesn’t end there. God will also produce for His people spiritual provisions such as strength, patience, wisdom, and understanding. So, while God has you in a wilderness season, look no further than to the story in Exodus to remind yourself that God will provide for your needs during your journey.

17 Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.”

So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?”

3 And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

4 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone[a] me!”

5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” Exodus 17:1-6.

He Will Make A Way

The most well-known part of the story in Exodus is the parting of the Red Sea. Can you imagine how the Israelites must’ve felt when they came to a dead end with a massive sea in front of them and Pharaoh’s army quickly approaching them from behind? What the Israelites didn’t realize is that God was getting ready to move on their behalf, to reveal Himself and get all the glory. If we look at our situations or circumstances with only our physical sight, we too can certainly be intimidated, like the Israelites. At surface level, there really seemed to be no way out for God’s people. Sometimes we cannot see a way out of a situation we are in and if we aren’t careful, we can quickly lose hope, become discouraged, or attempt to figure a way out in our own might and will. However, if we do this, we would miss out on God’s movement in our situation. Remember, God will share His glory with no one, and sometimes for that to happen, He needs to remove any and all possibilities for anything other than Himself to gain the glory for what He will do.

13 And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” Exodus 14:15-18.

Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

Preparation For The Promise

You may have asked why do God’s people have wilderness seasons, and what purpose do they serve in our lives? Allow me to share with you what God has been teaching me through my personal wilderness season. God is good, and His eyes are upon the righteous. He has plans to prosper His children and to give them hope and a future. After all, He is a good, good Father. But sometimes we are not at the place spiritually that we need to be in order for us to truly appreciate or not squander what God has in store for us. Sometimes God needs to get us alone with Him, away from all outside influences and distractions to do this. There are things God desires to teach us, ways He wants to mature us, and areas He wants to reveal Himself. We often pray the phrase “God have your way with me”, but for God to have His way with us, He will need to prepare us first. 

God works in cycles and seasons, and no season lasts forever. So rather than resisting or complaining our way through it as the Israelites did, we need to stop and ask God to align our hearts and minds with His purpose during this season. Don’t be afraid to tell God that you need help to surrender fully to Him. Be open with God in prayer and tell Him if you are struggling with doubt or unbelief. His ways are not our ways, so we will need spiritual wisdom and understanding through the Holy Spirit to make sense of His plans and purpose. God is patient and full of grace, and He is fully aware of our inability to comprehend Him in His fullness. 

Don’t panic when God begins to break things off of you or remove things from your life. I know it will seem as though everything is falling apart, but He is just setting things up to fall into perfect place. Sometimes our lives need a little rearranging that can only be done by the hand of God. This will allow room for the new things He is doing within you and in your life to fit in. There is a purpose in the pain, beloved. There are preparations being made. The Lord never promised that growth would be painless or necessarily easy. There are some places the Lord wants to take you, but there is only one route to that promise, so you have a choice to either faint in the wilderness never making it to the promise land, or better yet, draw near to God. Lean on Him fully as your provider and guide through this journey. Where we are weak in our human condition, He is strong. Before you know it, you will look back from a new vantage point, realizing there was a great purpose in your wilderness season and priceless things gained along the way.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

 

Isaiah 42:8 I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.

Prayer For Those Struggling To Survive Their Wilderness Season

Father God, I humbly submit myself in your presence, recognizing that you are sovereign over all things in my life. Thank you for being a present God with me in every circumstance and situation I face. Thank you for remaining faithful even when I am faithless. Help me, Lord, to surrender myself and my life to you. Help me to hand all control over to you in this season. Align my heart and mind with your purpose and plan. Guard my mind against the doubt and fear attempting to shake my faith. Holy Spirit, comfort me in this season, translate the groaning of my spirit when I cannot form words. Pour out the wisdom and discernment I will need to walk this season out in faith and hope. Bring to my remembrance the promises of God found in His word that I may grasp onto them tightly. I don’t want to work against you Lord, help me to trust in what you are doing. I thank you, Jesus, for all you have already done in my life. I thank you for what you are doing in my life right now that I cannot see. And I thank you for all that you will do. I will stand on your word of truth. I will trust in who you have proven yourself to be time and time again. I will walk out this season with you, Lord, and I will not grow weary, and I will not faint. For you, Jesus are my strength and I look to you, My Good Shepherd, to lead me through this season and out on the other side. Thank you for your patience, mercy, and grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen, let it be so!