The Barrenness of the Wilderness

 

As the book of Ecclesiastes tells us, there is a season for everything (Ecc. 3:1-8). Some seasons are better than others and thus more eagerly anticipated. Almost no one anticipates the Wilderness season but as Ecclesiastes tells us, we will all at one point or the other experience this season. For some it may last a decade, for others it may be shorter; one thing is sure: the wilderness season is inevitable.

For anyone wondering, a wilderness is a place that is wild, uncultivated and inhospitable. Bringing it to this context, a wilderness season is that period in your life when nothing is working or everything you do ends up in disappointment, no matter how hard you try. This period in life tends to be characterized by betrayal, disappointments or lost opportunities. In summary, one can call it a crisis season.

In the bible, many of our heroes that went on to achieve greatness went through this season. Take Joseph for example, he went from been the favorite son to been sold into slavery and subsequently sent to prison. It was not easy but one thing was clear all through, Joseph never lost his trust in God. One thing Joseph understood was that the wilderness was nothing more than a test (Ps.105:18-19, AMPC) and through that understanding, he stayed faithful to God, even when it sent him to prison (Gen. 39).

Another example was Job. When you read the opening chapter of the story of Job (Job 1), it reads like the most tragic of stories. It opens with the rosiest of openings any writer could give a lead character in their novel. He was prosperous in every way imaginable. Wealth? He had it, the bible even recorded him as the greatest man in the East (Job 1:3). Children? He had ten of them! What could a man like this ever want. But in the worst plot twist ever, a few verses later, he lost everything! One bad news followed hot on the heels of the next and by the end of Chapter 1, he had lost all his children and property. But guess what, he still remained righteous (Job 1:22).

When you consider the stories of these men, one thing remained constant: they trusted in God and never turned their back on him. Despite the tragedies they suffered. When you experience the barrenness of the wilderness, it is important to remember that it is just a season and like every season, it will come to an end. No matter how many years it takes! The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness before they reached the promised land. During the wilderness season, there will be times when you will want to give up, times when you want to fall back to a life of sin, times when you will want to turn your back on God. Remember, it is a test and God wants each of us to pass the test in order for us to be refined and made into what he wants us to be (James 1:2-4, Rom. 5:3-4). In this season of life, trust in God and search His word for His promises; one promise that always encourages me is from Is. 43:19 (NKJV):

“Behold, I will do a new thing,

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert.

As we gear up for a new month, the charge for anyone like me that is in the Wilderness Season is to search His word and trust in God and His promises over us. All His promises have come to pass (Joshua 21:45) and remember, He is Jireh! This too shall pass. If you don’t believe me, ask Joseph (Ps. 105:20-22) and Job (Job 42:10-17). Despite all they lost, God not only restored them, He gave them more than they ever had pre-wilderness season.

 

P.S. Enjoy this awesome song by Elevation Worship and Maverick City: Jireh

Photo Cred: Davy Jones Locker

He is Risen: Rejoice!

March 2020, the world went into various levels of lockdown, dependent on the severity of the Covid19 virus outbreak. A year later and people around the world are still experiencing the lockdown in one form or the other. When you reflect back on this, it is very easy to let the seed of hopelessness bear fruit. It is very easy to believe there is no light at the end of the tunnel and things will not change or improve. The beauty of Easter is that it is the perfect representation of hope and trust in God and the fact that there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel.

2000 years ago, on the day we now call Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (as per the prophecy, Zech. 9:9) to shouts of Hosanna (Mark 11:1-10)! 5 days later, he was crucified on the cross with two criminals (Matt. 27:32-38). Imagine how his disciples and followers felt. In the space of 6 days, they went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. The low was so low that one of his disciples, Peter, would deny any knowledge of Him before He was killed (Luke 22:54-62, Matt. 26:69-75). In a moment like this, I can imagine the amount of despair people felt.

For people that had seen someone as their Savior, the one to free them from the bondage of Roman rule, three days is a mighty long time. The good news is that the despair they felt was only temporary. On the third day, still in the sad mood, two women went down to see his tomb (Matt. 28:1) and guess what? He was no longer there! Imagine the shock they must have felt when they saw the stone had been rolled away and there was no body inside (Matt. 28:2-6). But all this was forgotten when Jesus appeared to them and said: REJOICE (Matt. 28:9)! Suddenly, they had gotten to the end of the tunnel and seen the light! Suddenly, their hope and joy were restored!

There are times in life that we feel hopeless because of a disappointment or a betrayal. Maybe it is because you have so many dry bones in the valley and it seems impossible for those bones to live again. I’m here to tell you: rejoice! The same power that raised Jesus from the dead, is the same power that can restore your broken bones or restore life to your dry bones (Eze. 37:1-14). He has never failed and He will never fail! Rejoice in the knowledge of that and become a prisoner of hope; God will restore double to you (Zech. 9:12)! He is Risen, rejoice!

 

Happy Easter