Waiting in The Wilderness
Author: Abi Oxley-Derrick
September 07, 2023
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the saga of God calling Moses to rescue His people from slavery and the (very very very long) journey to finally making it to the promised land. To break it down simply, here’s what happens:
God calls Moses to free His people from slavery under Pharaoh in Egypt. Moses doesn’t feel like he’s equipped, but eventually with the Lord and Aaron, they begin the process of freeing the Israelites. Pharaoh obviously says no, but 10 brutal plagues later, has a different answer (kind of). We now enter in the 40 years of wandering through the desert, where several acts of disobedience from Moses and the Israelites result in an entire generation of people (including Moses himself) missing out on experiencing the promised land. Eventually, under the leadership of Joshua, the Israelites finally escape slavery and the desert and get to experience the glory of the promised land.
Whew. What a journey.
One of the most striking parts of this story comes from Exodus 16. The Israelites have made it out of Egypt (where they were subject to absolutely brutal working conditions, and had gruesome experiences at the hand of Pharaoh), but they’re STILL deeply discontent.
Exodus 16: “The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."
If you’re anything like me, you read this and cannot believe the audacity of the Isrealites! How DARE they grumble and complain against the Lord after He’s proved Himself so mighty and so faithful to deliver on His promises? It’s honestly unbelievable. But, if you’re anything like me, you’re immediately overwhelmed with conviction, because how many times have I done that? Prayed for favor, prayed for a blessing, prayed to have exactly what I do now, and turned right around and grumbled about it?
Here’s the thing, we’re always going to have seasons of “waiting in the wilderness,” where we’re not where we want to be, but God has us there for a specific reason. Maybe He’s truly rescued us from something awful, maybe He has something incredible in store for us, or maybe He simply has us in the wilderness for our good and His glory.
Whatever the reason, we have control over our response. We have two options, grumble and complain and trudge along for 40 years until something better comes our way, or change our heart and use each and every season God has given us to learn more about His heart, character, and ultimately serve Him.
As believers, this story should be wildly important to us. This should be a caveat, a cautionary tale of God’s ultimate power and authority. He loves us, He DEEPLY cares for us, but He does not OWE us anything. One more time, He.does.not.owe.us.anything.
We’re not promised a promised land.
Unfortunately, devoting our lives to Jesus doesn’t guarantee a promised land flowing with milk and honey (read: a gorgeous house with a pool, lots of money, a nice car, and a perfect family). It just doesn’t. Does that make Jesus less worth following? Absolutely not. Because even though we’re not promised a promised land, here’s what God DOES promise us:
He is with you. (Isaiah 41:10)
He keeps you in perfect peace. (Isaiah 26:3)
He will NEVER leave you. (Deuteronomy 31:8)
He’s already overcome the world. (John 16:33)
He will teach us. (Psalms 32:8)
He will carry our burdens. (Matthew 11:28-29)
He will fight on your behalf. (Exodus 14:14)
And so, so, so much more. I don't know about you, but those things sound so much greater than any promised land I could manufacture for myself here on Earth.
So yes, God calls us to seasons of waiting in the wilderness. And yes, those seasons can be hard. And no, we won’t always see the fruit produced in those seasons on this side of eternity. But yes, a life following Jesus is ALWAYS worth it.
So whether you’re in the promised land or the wilderness today, you have a choice. A choice to move forward with a glad and thankful heart, or to drag your feet through the desert, grumbling at God. My prayer for us all is that we joyfully run through the desert, because whether it’s here on Earth, or eternity, a life with Jesus is the BEST promise.
BACK