Living in the Wilderness
What does the word “wilderness” conjure in your mind? Barren land, desolation, lack of resources, feral creatures, isolation?
The journey to reach my house involves leaving behind a town of less than 2,000 people, venturing beyond a village with a post office but no population sign, and traveling down 23 miles of gravel road. When you reach my home you are greeted by miles of prairie inhabited only by wildlife and cows. There is no underlying hum of street lights or buzz of car tires racing over pavement. There are no bustling people or children laughing in neighboring yards. Instead, there is stillness. Occasional birdsong, wind whistling through sagebrush, and a simultaneous sense of freedom and isolation. Wilderness.
Dwelling in the wilderness is referenced all throughout Scripture. Abraham gave his nephew Lot the better choice of land and set up camp in a wilderness. The Hebrews freed from slavery in Egypt were sentenced to 40 years of dessert wandering because of their unbelief. David hid from his enemies in the wilderness and joyously composed Psalm 63. Elijah spent 40 days in the wilderness and experienced God’s tender care for his depressed spirit and faithful provision for his physical needs. John the Baptist lived in the wilderness until God told him it was time to begin his public ministry. Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, fasted and prayed and resisted the Devil for 40 days in the wilderness before returning in the power of the Spirit to begin His ministry.
For most people, being in the wilderness is more of a spiritual figure of speech than a literal reality. Some ways that wilderness manifests in our lives are:
Lack of resources that teaches you to depend on God’s provision (Elijah)
A faith crisis that causes you to examine your relationship with the Lord (the Hebrews)
Mental health issues that require God’s healing and physical intervention (Elijah)
Allowing someone else to experience good things at the cost of your own comfort (Abraham)
Creating new boundaries with people that have hurt you physically or spiritually, but still finding joy in the promises and hope of God (David)
Setting aside time for solitude, fasting, and prayer in order to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, hear God’s voice, or wait for God’s direction (John the Baptist and Jesus)
I love this prairie where I live; I love the peace and quiet and tending to God’s creation through agriculture. But sometimes the isolation gets to be burdensome, and I wonder how I am supposed to minister to God’s people when there’s not a single soul in sight? I realized that living here gives me a unique insight to what the people of God who came before me felt and endured. My seclusion is not a punishment but an invitation to experience God’s nearness, to hear His voice, and to rejoice in who He is.
I pray that whatever physical or spiritual wilderness you find yourself in will lead you nearer to the God who comforts, heals, provides, protects, and empowers.