Relevant Life

Do you hear God’s voice clearly for you life today? Are there many distractions in your life preventing his voice from getting through? Are worries and doubts weighing heavy in your mind? Are you passionately running after God and desire to hear his voice?

There are so many distractions in the world today. We all have to work and provide a living for our family. We all have to have a house to live in and a car to drive. We have relationships we have to work on. Life is filled with “ must haves”. It is overwhelmed with daily obstacles and it leaves many Christians empty inside from God’s daily renewals.

The people of Israel had the same problem during Moses’ day. They had to work for a living and take care of their families. Their slave owners were the Egyptians and there were no days off.  The people would work from sun up to sun down. Spare time was limited which held the Israelites hostage to worldly distractions.

God, the lover of mankind, passionately was pursuing the People of Israel and desired a relationship with them. He would do anything to spark the fire for this relationship. Therefore, He sent Moses to Pharaoh to  ask that the People of Israel would be let go to worship their God in the wilderness.

Exodus 7:16  And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.

The word “ Wilderness” in the Hebrew is “ Midbar”. It means wilderness, desert, and speech. Notice the last descriptive word for wilderness it is “Midbar” . The wilderness is where God spoke to his people. It was in the wilderness where God showed his great power to the people of Israel. It is here where God desired to build a great relationship with his people.

Exodus 13:17-19 GW  When Pharaoh let the people go, God didn’t lead them on the road through Philistine territory, although that was the shortest route. God said, “If they see that they have to fight a war, they may change their minds and go back to Egypt.”  (18)  So God led the people around the other way, on the road through the desert toward the Red Sea. The Israelites were ready for battle when they left Egypt.  (19)  Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, because Joseph had made the Israelites solemnly swear to do this. Joseph had said, “God will definitely come to help you. When he does, take my bones with you.”

Why did God need to take His people in the Wilderness? Maybe he needed to free them from all the distractions. He knew it would be a tough task because the Israelites could only think about their distractions. When they got to the Wilderness, they complained about the lack of Food. God would give them manna every day. They would complain about their clothes and health. God would make their clothes anew every day and He would heal all their diseases. He provided direction and life in the wilderness. This deserted place should have been a place of connection and freedom. Instead, the people of Israel saw the wilderness as their death trap instead of their place new birth.

It is in the wilderness where God does His best work for his people. This place is holy and creates holy people. You have to go through the wilderness in order to fully know the living God. Jesus started his ministry in the wilderness. He had to go through this place and be empowered by God.

Luke 4:1-2 GW  Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit as he left the Jordan River. The Spirit led him while he was in the desert,  (2)  where he was tempted by the devil for 40 days. During those days Jesus ate nothing, so when they were over, he was hungry.

Many see the wilderness as an entrapment but God says it is necessary for holiness. It is necessary for birthing and rebirthing of vision and personal mission. God reveals Himself in a mighty way here. He empowers you and comforts you in the wilderness. All we have to do is become willing vessels. The people of Israel fought the wilderness experience for a generation and a generation was lost without ever knowing the one true God. 

Out of the wilderness came the promise land and the land of purpose for the People of Israel.  Out of the wilderness, Jesus performed great miracles and impacted the world for eternity. What does your wilderness hold? What is God speaking to you about? Are you listening? Are you receiving His empowerment in the wilderness? Don’t fight it. Embrace it. Allow the dross to be burnt off and watch God doing mighty things in your life.