Nehemiah 9:19; Psalm 78:19
God calls us to be His own and He always puts us in the wilderness before he uses us.
How We Get Through the Wilderness:
– Know there will be a wilderness. This means He loves us. If he didn’t put us in the wilderness this means He couldn’t use us.
– There is no path in the wilderness, so we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. The more we look at Jesus the more we become like Him.
Why God Puts Us in the Wilderness:
– God puts us in the world so we become tough. It’s a tough world.
– To make us brave. We become brave by facing our adversary & tough circumstance.
– To give us wisdom. We need to be wise to God’s ways. We can use what God has given us. If we don’t go to the wilderness there are too many distractions. God gives us wisdom to survive.
– God makes us in love with Him. He wants us to yearn for Him more, which creates a need for Jesus.
– Then we need each other.
– So we can know who we are, and find out what we are made of. God wants us to know we are champions.
– So God can make us a winner. The world tells us what losers we are, and that there is always someone better than us. When we are in the wilderness we need to not panic. We become confused when we panic and we become open to more of satan’s lies.
– We learn about the ways of satan so we can defeat him. Compared to eternity we are only in the wilderness a little while.
– It may take a long time to get through the wilderness. So, God gives us assistance to help us get through the wilderness. Settle in. Have a brother or sister help you. Jesus will help us, so settle down and look at Jesus. Don’t get restless or rambunctious. God will begin to show us a way.
– Don’t start crabbing because it is not pleasing to the Lord. You won’t get out of the wilderness by complaining. Thank God for the fruit He will produce in the wilderness.
– Don’t tell God that it is unfair that you are in the wilderness. If you don’t go into the wilderness, God can’t use you. There is green eggs and ham in the wilderness that God gives us strength. God is being more than fair with us by saving us. Let God be sovereign.
– So we can understand how other people feel. God develops His heart in us. We are in the wilderness to bring someone else to Jesus.
– Wilderness experiences are a part of life. Coming out of it is too!
How Do You Know If You’re in the Wilderness:
– If it starts to hurt.
– You may share someone else’s wilderness if you start to hurt for them.
– If you feel dry and empty. God always gives you more than He took.
– God may play peek-a-boo with you. You will feel like God is there one moment and silent the next. God becomes more silent so we can learn to hear Him better.
– When we are misunderstood. Like Job. We may feel this way but God knows exactly how we feel. This misunderstanding will pass.
– You may feel anger (toward God or other people). God pulls the anger out of us so He can redirect it toward His purposes. He can use the anger to heal us.
– Time seems to slow down.
When in the Wilderness:
– Do not concentrate on the answer but desire Jesus and whatever He wants for you more and more.
– Try to focus on the needs of others around you.
– Remember that the wilderness is part of life, but not all of it.
The Eagles Cry 