The Wilderness
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will these people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, in spite of all the miraculous signs they have performed among them?’” (Numbers 14:11)
The people of Israel were powerfully delivered from bondage in Egypt. God had brought them out of slavery and through the Red Sea in a dramatic rescue. He continued to lead them through the wilderness of the Sinai dessert toward the promised land. He led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. When they were thirsty He provided for them water from a rock. When they were hungry He provided for them “manna” from heaven. He taught them about Himself and gave them guidelines for living through the 10 commandments. All this in the wilderness on the way to the promised land.
We tend to forget the first time in the wilderness. It gets overshadowed by the second time which lasted 40 years. Maybe that is why we see the wilderness as a place of punishment rather than a place of learning. It was in the wilderness that God revealed Himself to His people so that they would believe in Him. He was building a relationship based on trust. In the wilderness He showed them that He was a God who was always there for them. He was a God who would always provide their needs. He would always guide them.
To God the wilderness was a place to learn and grow. In today’s verse the people have refused to trust God and move into the promised land that has been prepared for them. For more than a year God has been revealing Himself to them but they still don’t trust Him. So…back to school.
When we are in a “wilderness” time of our lives we tend to focus on getting out. “When will this end?” “I need to see the light at the end of the tunnel.” But God wants to use those times to teach us more about who He is. He wants us to grow closer to Him. When we are in the wilderness we should take time to Look for God, listen to His voice and learn from Him. Are you there today?
Blessings!
