Numbers 32:12; Joshua 5:6
As we journey through this Christian walk, we will have moments of joy, moments of happiness, moments of sorrow, challenging moments, and even hard-pressing, neck-turning times. We find periods in our lives where we feel if we have to overcome one more hurdle, Lord, I don’t know what I will do. Am I right about it? You don’t have to tell me because I too have these periods of times which I label as ‘wilderness experiences’. Any person, situation or condition that interrupts the flow of joy and abundance within our lives represents a ‘wilderness experience’.
When thinking of the ‘wilderness experience’ what normally comes to mind is a barren place; a place of dryness and solitude. It is a place which presumes God’s absence. Dr. D. W. Ekstrand states:
“In a spiritual wilderness God feels far away, distant, absent, and unresponsive… faith feels doubtful or uncertain… we feel alone, vulnerable, lost, and unprotected… there is the fear of hopelessness and the unknown… and it’s the place where Satan resides.”
Question: (1) After an individual has committed his/her life unto the Lord and confesses to serve Him, why would God allow ‘wilderness experiences’ to arise in a Christian’s life”? (2) Why does God’s presence feel so distant during ‘wilderness experiences?’
To the contrary, the wilderness doesn’t evade God’s presence. Rather, it is a place of spiritual growth (that is faith growth). Sometimes there is no place to go in our faith but up - - especially after being knocked down to the bottom and filled with doubt and fear. Amen! Our ‘wilderness experiences’ often forces us to seek God’s wisdom and direction in prayer. Nine times out of ten, anyone who has gotten anywhere in God has gone through at least one wilderness experience. Remember the beggar at the gate called Beautiful in Acts 3:1-11. From birth, this beggar endured a ‘wilderness experience’ for he was down, out and hungry. Yet, he learned, after conversing with the servants of God (Peter and John) that in order to acquire God’s blessings, he had to be sitting in God’s timing. So it is today. We must be in the right place at the right time to reap God’s blessings. God’s blessings don’t always come to us easy. As a matter of fact, normally it comes with a cost, a price, a time of trying and testing. And though we may be in the right place at the right times, there will still be hurdle periods, ‘wilderness experiences’ in our lives that we must overcome in order to get to that right place and receive the God’s blessings.
No one is excluded from experiencing ‘times of wilderness.’ Look at Jesus in Luke 3:21; 4:1-2:
“21 One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where He was tempted by the devil for forty days...”
Now if God will lead His One and Only Begotten Son into the wilderness, why would God not lead His peculiar, chosen children into the wilderness? Remember, God’s word is the ‘same yesterday, today, and forevermore.’ In other words, God wants the very best for us as He did for Christ Jesus.
So this morning, let us gazed upon other times of ‘wilderness experiences.’ Stand and let us look at our text in Numbers 32:13 and Joshua 5:6 (NLT).
“The Lord's anger was kindled against Israel and He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was dead” (Numbers 32:13).
6 “The Israelites had traveled in the wilderness for forty years
until all the men who were old enough to fight in battle when they left Egypt had died.
For they had disobeyed the LORD,
and the LORD vowed He would not let them enter the land he had sworn to give us
--a land flowing with milk and honey”
(Joshua 5:6).
The Bible speaks about, hurdles, impossibilities for man that become magnificent opportunities for God. I like to label these hurdles, impossibilities as life’s ‘wilderness experiences’. So for a few moments, let address the subject: Overcoming Your Wilderness Experiences.
We all have, or had, and definitely will have some ‘wilderness experiences’ that we must bear; we must endure. We can’t hide or escape from them. Author Eugene Ogu defined wilderness times as,
“That obstacle, barrier, impediment, hindrance or stumbling block that stands in your way to success, greatness, victory, or that miracle you have believed God for all these while. It is that problem that has vowed not to allow you to serve the Lord freely.”
Don’t be fooled and think because you now come to church and worship God that your ‘wilderness experiences’ days are over. Some are but others are on the way. Because the Bible declares, in this world, we will have ‘wilderness experiences’ that we will endure. Some of you may be facing them in your life right now. But what we must learn Church is that, God uses our wilderness experiences to refine us into the person He predestined us to be (Rom 8:29, Phil 3:21). Also, the wilderness is not the end of the story, because the Scripture says that God always brings His people out of the wilderness into the Promised Land. However, the arrival to our ‘Promise Land’ is solely based on God’s time, and His terms (which is our obedience to the Word of God).
God’s terms cannot be altered or waivered. We can’t order God’s terms based on our terms. It’s either His way or no way. Just as during Noah’s time, the Israelites believed that they could do whatever they desired. They believe that they could continue to live in sin without any consequences. However, according to Numbers 32:13,
“The Lord's anger was kindled against Israel and He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was dead”
I can’t imagine enduring a wilderness experience for 40 years. How absurd to endure the same gloom and doom that the Israelites experienced for 40 years! The Israelites chose to satisfy their flesh; they refused to let go of their Egyptian ungodly behavior. Unfortunately, these same acts of ungodliness are prevailing today. Drifting (wandering) through life without any hope is a terrible consequence of practicing sin and an illusion from the enemy of God.
Now, we may not always be cognitive to the timing of ‘wilderness experiences’ surfacing due to the behavior of others but one thing is definite...‘wilderness experiences’ come in diverse forms. Maybe it is a:
Wilderness of Sickness – “Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped” (Luke 8:43-44).
Often we endure sickness not out of something that we did but only so that God’s glory may be revealed. It’s God’s desire that we all be in good health (3 John 2)
Wilderness of Loneliness – ”And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Genesis 2:18).
We can’t be ignorant to the enemy devices. The devil will use loneliness as a means to impede our walk, our success in God. See, I know from personal experience (after being married for almost 23 years) that no one likes being alone. Let me assure you that if we sit in the timing of God, God will assure that we have that companion that He so desires for us.
Wilderness of Hopelessness – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
The enemy wants you to think and believe that everything you have worked for, everything that you desire seems at lost, that there is no successful ending to your Wilderness. . Oh no! God tells us not to lean to our own understanding…simply trust in Him. When we trust in God and feed His word to Him, then God moves on our behalf. We can’t allow doubt and fear to take residence in our lives. For with God all things are possible. We only need to acknowledge Him and cross the paths that He destined in our lives. Then there’s that:
Wilderness of Failure – You’ve tried one thing after another and no matter what you do, it’s appears like you are a failure. The more you try the worse things gets. You say to yourself, do I have something written across my head. I know I made that mistake when I was foolish and young but I’ve paid the price for that mistake. Is it going to follow me around for the rest of my life? Be of good courage and know God sees all and knows all. Though it appears that you are a flop; you are not.
I know this because the Bible says that, “The steps of a good man (woman) are ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23). Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all" (Psalm34:19).
You just keep getting up and try again, and again, and again. Know that God is working it out for your good for “All things work together for good to them that are called and love the Lord”(Romans 8:28) Believe that “What the devil meant for bad good means for good” (Genesis 50:20).
Wilderness of Negativity – At one crossroad or another, we all have negative thoughts. But when we constantly ponder on those thoughts, the enemy will use them to make you and I believe that we are not worthy of anything or anyone. The Bible states, “Whatsoever a man thinks in his heart so is he”(Proverbs 23:7). If you think good thoughts, then good thoughts will flourish. On the other hand if you think negative thoughts then they will flourish. For “life and death is in the power of our tongue and out of the mouth flows the issues of life” (Proverbs 18:21, 3:23). Negative thinking produces low-self esteem. You ought to always think highly of yourself. This isn’t being conceited but simply being who God created you to be, a created, chosen, precious vessel made by the Master.
Church we must learn to do as the Apostle Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “Take captive of every thought and make it (that thought) obedient to Christ.” It is that positive thinking that ushers us into the capability of facing the impossibilities and knowing that it will all good out for the good and for God’s glory. It is that positive thinking that lets us know that our ‘wilderness experiences’ are only there to get us to that next level that God has designed for us to reach. And without that Wilderness, many of us sitting right here today wouldn’t be in here today. Am I right about it? Many of us would not be praising God today. Many of us wouldn’t be compassionate to that homeless brother or sister. Many of us wouldn’t be where we are now.
Oh yes, there’re too many ‘wilderness experiences’ to list but whatever your wilderness may be today, no god other than God Almighty is able to sustain you. But you say, “Lord if You are here then why am I going through this?” It’s amazing how we say we believe in God but yet, we believe our treatment from Him should be different though many behave as the Israelites did. Our text says the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. I believe it was not only because of their conversion to Egyptian customs but moreso because they desired to be their own god. This result to them lacking faith and trust in God which resulted in their rebellion and disobedience to Him. Noel Bordador, an Asian Episcopal pastor said,
“We all want a predictable God; that if we’re good, He won’t allow bad things to happen to us! We’re not into having a God who lets bad things happen to reasonably good people… so the wilderness experience makes us ponder whether we can trust and love God when bad things happen to us.”
Moses summed up the arguments of being obedient in two words, the blessing and the curse. He charged the people to choose which they would have. You decide today which one you prefer, blessing or curse. It’s a terrible thing to fall under the curse of God. Simply know that we’re matchless to Him.
See Moses faced his ‘wilderness experiences’, the impossibility of crossing the Red Sea (which he did cross) and another impossibility of crossing the Jordan River (tell the story-Moses disobedience, struck the rock). But the story doesn’t end there. Remember, He was there for Moses (when he parted and crossed the Red Sea) and now God’s there for Joshua and all Israelites 20 years of age and under. They crossed the Jordan and entered the Promised Land. Church, I’m telling you that God will do it! He will bring you and me out of our wilderness experiences. We just got to believe it and trust Him. We see God’s promise in Deuteronomy 11:31-32 come to pass.
“31 For you are about to cross the Jordan River to take over the land the LORD your God is giving you. When you take that land and are living in it, 32 you must be careful to obey all the decrees and regulations I am giving you today.”
No wilderness can impede that which God has ordained. Oh yes, Joshua and the Israelites crossed their wilderness; they entered into the Promised Land, the Land of Canaan – flowing with milk and honey (a land of prosperity). You don’t have to remain in the wilderness. You too, can enter into your promised land, into your Canaan because you want better for yourself, your family, your church, your community, etc. Just what is your Canaan? Is it:
A healing from sickness
A mate, companionship
That dream coming to fruition or
That business becoming successful
Whatever your Canaan is, don’t waste time focusing on your ‘wilderness experience’ but give God the glory in the midst of your ‘wilderness experience’ as you cross into the Land of Promise.
One interesting thing that I would like to emphasize about the wilderness is that it is not warranted a life span; it’s not there indefinitely.
Closing: See, we serve a God who cares too much for us to allow the enemy to take residence in our lives. God loves us so much that He sacrificed His only Begotten Son so that you and I may have an abundant life here on earth and not just in heaven. On top of that, God assured that His Son experienced ‘wilderness experiences’ while here on earth.
The scripture says, “He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where He was tempted by the devil for forty days...” Oh no church, He wasn’t led to take a beautiful mountaintop trip. Rather, the Spirit of God led Him into the wilderness for 40 days where the devil was on assignment to hound Him. Let’s look at this scripture closely.
1. It defined the state of the individual prior to the forthcoming task, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit. He could endure the task because the Holy Spirit was working within Him. Are you prepared to endure the task? What condition are you in; is it self-prepared or Spirit-prepared?
2. It defined who is doing the leading. It didn’t say anyone led Him but rather He was led by the Spirit. Who is directing you today?
. It defined the location to where He was to go and that was to the wilderness. Are you going where God desires or are you going wherever you desire to go?
4. It defined the parties on assignment and the length of the assignment. We are never alone in the wilderness (He was tempted by the devil), and our stay isn’t permanent (for forty days).
Saints even filled with the Spirit of God, Christ willingly endured wilderness experiences:
• He experienced rejection
• He experienced being lied on
• He experienced humiliation
• He experienced physical abuse
• He experienced betrayal
Our Lord and Savior went through wilderness experiences just like you and I are today. The Bible states, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Hebrews 4:15). He overcame and we, His children will too. Trust there is an answer to:
(1) After an individual has committed his/her life unto the Lord and confesses to serve Him, why would God allow ‘wilderness experiences’ to arise in a Christian’s life”? Wilderness experiences arise to improve our faith walk, relationship in Christ by applying His Word. When we respond with fear, doubt, worry, and unbelief it gives Satan a foothold in our lives. The only way to defeat the enemy is with the Word of God. Jesus told satan, It is written.” We too must tell satan, “It is written.”
(2) Why does God’s presence feel so distant during ‘wilderness experiences?’ God loves us so much that His Son sees, all that we go through. He hears everything and promises to never leave us or forsake us. So while we are going through our wilderness experiences, we must continue to trust God and believe that God has a Canaan promise waiting for you as He did for the Israelites. Psalms 145:19 states, “He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him; He also will hear their cry and will save them.”
God specializes in the impossible. Remember the impossible is an opportunity for God to reveal His greatness and you will have an awesome testimony to utter to someone who is facing their wilderness experience.
Just when we think all is lost, Jesus surfaces at the right time. He may not come when we want Him too but He will come right on time! Dottie Peoples says, “He’s an on time God, yes He is.” So don’t doubt in our waiting. Remember the story of Sarai and Abram. God promised and it came to pass (baby Isaac). What about Lazarus who was dead for 4 days but Jesus restored life in Him? Jesus can restore life into you as well for He is a restorer of life. Don’t sweat the wilderness experience but crossed over into your Promised Land just as the Israelites and Christ did. For they tell me that:
• He overcame for the gates of hell did not prevail against Him.
• He overcame because on the 3rd day, He came back to the wilderness
• He overcame for He got up with all power in His hands
• He overcame for He walked the face of the earth again
• He overcame for at His timing He ascended to the right hand of the Father
• Our God is an overcomer! He didn’t abandon us. He kept His promise to never leave or forsake us by leaving the Comforter, the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth and peace.
