Apr 2
2 min read
Three Encouragements for When You Encounter the Wilderness
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.
(Exodus 3:1–2, NIV Bible)
The wilderness: you’ve been there, are there, or will be there.
It’s the place of wandering and disorientation. It’s the place we want to step forward, but unsure of which direction. It’s the place we’re clear about — until we’re in it.
While it isn’t comfortable, it is valuable.
Three things to know when you encounter the wilderness:
- The wilderness adjusts what we look at, and how we look at it. Moses had grown up in the house of Pharaoh. No doubt he was used to the luxuries of stability and affluence. The wilderness had none of that, and slowly he would have to learn dependence on God to provide in a way he never would’ve needed to in Pharaoh’s house.
- Keep at whatever it is you’ve been given to do. Moses didn’t sit idly by and despair over his surroundings. He continued to tend the flock he’d been given charge over. It’s in the midst of continuing with what we’re doing when we can’t see the future that God gets our attention.
- While it’s easy to stare at the mountaintops, don’t overlook the shrubs. Here’s Moses next to the mountain of God, yet the angel of the Lord appears in…a shrub. You know what’s not exciting? A shrub. Shrubs are so small, so plain, so ordinary. And they may just unlock what’s next. Don’t underestimate God’s ability to use the shrubs around you.
The wilderness isn’t the lack of God’s presence. It’s the place He shows how capable He really is.
This post was created with Typeshare
