The Wilderness: Grief or Growth?

We are sojourning together, friends, on this faith journey as fellow travelers. And it’s very important to understand times of testing, hardship, and through it all, spiritual growth.

Have you ever felt like you were tossed out of a low flying plane, you land in a barren desert, and every comfort is gone?

Have you ever felt stripped of all hope and faith through circumstances that were unavoidable?

Have you ever wondered, why me?

Well, you’re not alone. Been there. Done that. And more times that we’d like to remember. Bottom line, the Christian “walk” is often challenging.

The wilderness. For those of us who have survived it, that word is more than the visual of a dusty backdrop without any life to be seen. It’s a metaphor for those tough (yet temporary!) seasons that test us, but also refine us.

 But here's the key and very important to never forget: it's not about punishment. God isn't up there with a broom, whacking us in the head, disrupting our lives and wreaking havoc, just for the fun of it. Actually, He’s not the author of those disastrous seasons at all.

That said, Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

Oh yes. He uses every morsel of our disastrous meal to smooth out the rough spots, fit for the Master’s use.

But our God can take "worst-case scenarios" such as tragedy, brokenness, discouragement, and weave them into a positive, beautiful, outcome. Many times we are better off than we were before our wilderness experience.

Challenges and hardships are not viewed as wasted, but as opportunities for developing spiritual growth, and something else He truly loves, a greater dependence on Him. He is our Father after all.

The story of Joseph (Genesis 50:20), is an ideal example of what humans intend for harm, God can repurpose for good, bringing a higher purpose out of evil circumstances. 

He is the Great Recycler.

God greatly uses our wilderness moments to mature our faith, build our character, and prep us for whatever He's got lined up next. It’s basically a spiritual bootcamp. It’s tough but usually the payoff makes all the hardship worth it.

In Exodus, the Israelites escaped slavery in Egypt only to wander the desert for 40 years. It was a tough road to hoe: no food, constant bickering, and a whole lot of “what do we do next?”

But God used that time to teach them to rely on Him even for the food that would sustain them throughout the journey. Manna from heaven, water from rocks; it was all about dependency.

Let’s fast forward to our modern wildernesses: health crisis, job loss, relationship issues, divorce, financial devastation. No matter what turmoil we face, we're forced to confront our internal flaws.

What is that? That pride we didn't know was lurking? It gets exposed.

The self-reliance we've built our lives on? It crumbles because it was built on sinking sand.

What grows in this dusty wilderness? Humility. Gratitude. Appreciation. And character attributes you didn’t even know were forged in that dry desert.

It’s in the desert that we learn to pray not just to be rescued, but to be transformed into His image and likeness. Thank God, the wilderness isn't a permanent address. It’s a temporary residence. Let’s call it a pit stop on the way to the promise.

Jesus Himself faced it as He spent 40 days and 40 nights in the desert, tempted by Satan, hungry and alone. He emerged out of that wilderness much stronger, and ready to launch His ministry.

That's the blueprint: testing leads to growth, which leads to fulfilling your divine purpose. Because in these seasons, God reveals what has to vacate from our being; what’s holding us back from fulfilling all He’s called us to.  

So if you're in the thick of it right now, don’t run. Give to it. Lean into it. Trust that this harsh, dry desert is cultivating a deeper faith that will prepare you for the “God Adventures” ahead.

Let’s together “embrace the wilderness” and flip the script on the suffering that the enemy meant to destroy us. Instead of seeing it as if you were cursed, allow it to catapult you into a time of understanding and acceptance. Somehow, when we arrive at that destination, the suffering becomes secondary. Whether it's raising a family, serving in ministry, or just waiting on our assignment from our Father in heaven, the wilderness prepares us.

So next time life feels like a dry spell, remember: it's not the end. It's the setup for your comeback story, written by a God who turns deserts into destinations.

Keep walking. Keep listening. Keep praying.

There's purpose on the other side.