Psalm 13 expresses David's feelings of despondency and questioning God's silence during a difficult time while he was in the wilderness. It's a lament, characterized by a sense of abandonment and a cry for God's intervention. David questions how long God will continue to hide His face and whether He has forgotten him. The psalm ends with a shift towards trust and rejoicing, as David acknowledges God's love and anticipates deliverance.
I want to speak about a different spiritual season in our life - I will call its a Wilderness Experience as David faced, Its a different spiritual warfare season of our life.
This wilderness was a place of despair and discouragement, where everything looked dry and empty, and my once fruitful life felt barren—like the Israelites, wandering in circles, going nowhere, and producing nothing. I felt distant from the Lord, wondering if He cared because I felt hidden, judged, and forgotten. It’s hard to notice anything good in the wilderness. The wilderness is a time of waiting. Wait. Few words are less welcome. I’ve never met anyone who likes to wait. When we wait long for something, our hopes can rise and die a hundred times. Heartsickness becomes a close companion. We don’t know what God is doing and must simply wait for His timing. With no control over our future, we live day to day, dependent on Him. Our lives feel like they are on hold. I often walked into my wilderness days with little expectation. The world may have been moving all around me, but I felt stuck—stalled, stranded, waiting. Life could begin again if only this wait would end.
In our waiting, God does His most profound work. Waiting is hard and lonely, and often, it feels hidden. Others don’t feel the ache of unfulfilled desires in our hearts, or see the tears that stream down our cheeks, or hear the prayers we cry out to the Lord. God is at work in our waiting. We might not see any changes in these times, particularly through wilderness seasons, but there is a plan and purpose in all of it. God brings us to wilderness seasons because here He is molding and shaping us, teaching us things we cannot learn elsewhere. The wilderness can tether our hearts to Jesus in ways nothing else can. It is a place that requires dependence, not self-reliance. The hope that sustains us in wilderness seasons reminds us that God is there, doing some of His most important work.
Why is waiting so hard to do? Why do we resist it with every fiber of our being? How do we wait well in wilderness seasons?
1). What is our Spiritual Wilderness.
* Its a season when you cannot fully comprehend what God is doing in your life.
* Lord is leading you in a direction which you cannot fully understand
* Its a period of silence when God seems distant from you, seems God is far away from us.
Psalms 13:1-2 " How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
Jpb 23:8-9 " Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him".
2). Danger in the Wilderness
In this section, I want to point out some possible dangers if we are not careful.
This is the time the enemy tries to distract us from the Plan of God. Satan will use us to think and speak against God and His plans in our life.
When we go through the season of wilderness experience where we feel rejected and abandoned even by God, we are forced by the enemy to think the following way.
1. We go impatient in our life and step back from following God's direction
2. We doubt the plan of God for us
3. We doubt the Sovereignty and love of God
4. We let loose our dreams and passions.
3) Why there is wilderness season in our life
Because:
1. its a time of learning,
A new season of learning God's plans and His ways.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). The verse instructs us to put all our trust in the Lord and not our own knowledge. The verse tells us not to be reliant on our strength and knowledge, but to trust in the Lord.
2. Wilderness is the road to the promised land.
Once the Hebrews had escaped Pharaoh’s tyrannical grip, a new set of problems arose quickly. People being people, they quickly put aside their amazement at God’s miraculous rescue and began to complain about their first experience of freedom. They entered the wilderness.
There’s not enough food. We don’t like the food. There’s no water-we’ll die of thirst. We don’t trust our leaders. We don’t trust God. We’re afraid. Maybe this was a big mistake, coming out here.
According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, a wilderness is “a region uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings”; it is an “area essentially undisturbed by human activity”; and, it is “an empty or pathless area or region.” *
A wilderness (especially in that part of the earth) is a lonely, barren place with little vegetation or wildlife. This is where they wandered for 40 years because they lacked the faith or will to enter the Promised Land immediately after leaving Egypt.
3. Divine government upon our life leads to progressive elements
Their long walk through the wilderness was a consequence of their unbelief, but God did not abandon them. Not in the least. He provided the perfect amount of manna for them to gather each day to keep them nourished. They didn’t get sick. Their shoes didn’t wear out. Just try to find a pair of shoes you could wear every day for forty years!
And when they, like spoiled brats, demanded meat, he gave them meat. When they couldn’t find water, he made water gush out of a rock at Moses’s command.
During this circuitous wilderness journey, their God led them with a cloud by day and fire by night. Every day, and every night. He taught them to build temporary shelters. He taught them to build a place to worship him.
As they journeyed, the LORD spoke to Moses “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex. 33:11), and Moses delivered to the people every instruction needed to survive their journey. This period in the history of the Jews is commemorated at the Feast of Tabernacles by commandment,
“that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” (Lev. 23:43)
God never abandons us or forsakes us, even when we are lost, rebellious, stubborn, unholy, or ungrateful. He is the best of fathers.
4. Wilderness in our life is not a sign of defeat but the preparation for greater fruitfulness.
Looking back on those years in the wilderness, this is what God said to His people as they came to the Promised Land. 5“I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot. 6“You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink, in order that you might know that I am the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 29:5-6
What has been your God appointed wilderness? Are you there right now? What do you suppose God is trying to teach you? Are you learning the lessons that God wants you to learn?
When God takes you to the wilderness, He withholds that which you have come to depend on other than Him. Maybe you came to depend on your job to provide. God removes the job for a time, so that you will learn to depend on Him. Maybe you came to depend on your own strength or stamina. Then God brings weakness into your life, so that you will learn that your strength is in Him. You see it as deprivation. God sees it as preparation.
“You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD. 4“Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. 5“Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. 6“Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. Deuteronomy 8:2-6
5. Wilderness in our life is not a sign of rejection, but a purification time in pursuit of God
The idea that wilderness experiences in life are a time of purification and not rejection aligns with the concept of spiritual growth and God's loving discipline. God often uses challenging circumstances to refine our character and draw us closer to Him. These periods of solitude, prayer, and reflection can be opportunities for spiritual clarity and strength.
Just as a goldsmith refines gold through fire, God uses difficult times to purify and refine our hearts and minds, removing impurities and shaping us into His image.
God often uses trials and struggles to bring about purified lives and hearts. In this period of change and reconstruction and distancing from the habits of routine and predictable worship might God also be refining and purifying our hearts so that we can see what really matters?
These experiences can be a form of spiritual discipline, helping us to learn from our mistakes, grow in our faith, and develop a deeper understanding of God's character and will.
When we walk through spiritual droughts, we’re tempted to believe this time is an unusable, accidental derailment in our Christian journey. Maybe God was asleep at the wheel or took a wrong turn, but somehow, we’ve veered off the road and gotten lost in this desolate place.
But nothing in our life is purposeless, not even our wandering in the wilderness. It’s not our destination, our home, and it’s not even a desired stop along the way, but God has good plans for us in every place He leads us. Even in the desert, there is “grace in the wilderness” (Jeremiah 31:2). Consider these four purposes as an encouragement to endure, trust, and wait on the Lord.
* The wilderness can be a place of spiritual discipline.
God’s discipline is not to hurt us or punish us but to teach us and train us (Deut. 8:2-6). Discipline is God’s love in action. Through it, He proves His commitment to us, His desire for our good and growth, and His patience to walk us from spiritual infancy to maturity (Heb. 12:5-6; Rev. 3:19). If God has you in the wilderness for discipline, it’s out of a Father’s loving heart and designed to “do you good in the end” (8:16). Learn what He’s teaching you and trust the method and timing He chooses.
* The wilderness can be a place of testing and refinement preceding a season of fruitfulness.
The wilderness isn’t always discipline for what we’ve done. It might be the preparation for what God’s about to do. Consider Christ’s forty-day stint in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1 tells us the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. That by itself is encouraging. God might direct us into the wilderness so He can bring us out the other side ready to do His work
Jesus stands toe-to-toe with the Devil and comes out of the ring standing. He fights with the weapon of God’s Word (Matt. 4:4). He learns dependence on the Father’s will (Matt. 8:7) and proves himself to be the Spirit-filled Son of God. The desert season launches his season of ministry.
The same thing happens to Elijah. God directs him into the desert (1 Kings 17:1-5), and one chapter later he faces the prophets of Baal in a winner takes all match (18). Elijah’s ministry with God was preceded by preparation in the wilderness by God.
* The wilderness can be a place where God wins our affections and crushes our idols.
When life coasts along and we lay back soaking in the blessings, it’s easy to find comfort and happiness in our idols. Over time, our love for God wanes and our love for the things of this world grows. God knows our idols will ultimately disappoint us and leave us empty, so He gets us alone into the wilderness to win our affections back.
In the wilderness, distractions are removed and space is provided to experience the goodness of God. Wilderness becomes an oasis as who God is becomes clearer when everything is stripped away. When we’re forced to turn and look at God, we find what we’ve been looking for all along. In the quietness, seclusion, and desperation of being here, God draws near, cares for us, and satisfies us with His love (Deut. 32:10).
* The wilderness can be a place where God makes His glory clear and compelling.
The wilderness pushes us to the edge of despair and giving up. We feel our limits, insufficiency, and inability to deliver ourselves. It saps our strength. Our hope might be gone as solutions flee. How will we survive? Will God provide? How will I make it?
When all other doors are closed and our options run out, God powerfully proves Himself. God is often the first one we blame and the last one we give credit (Deut. 8:17).
4) Plan of God in the Wilderness
1. To make us humble:
Here’s the first reason God brings us to the wilderness: to teach us humility. Deuteronomy 8:2 says, “Remember the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these 40 years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you . . .” The verb translated “humble” is interesting because it can have both a negative and positive meaning. When it’s negative, it’s translated “afflict.” When it’s positive it means “humble.” It’s used in Leviticus 16 and other passages about the Day of Atonement, commanding Israel “to humble their souls” before God. The adjectival form is used of Moses, calling him the most “humble” man on the earth (Num 12:2).
The word doesn’t mean having low self-esteem nor does it describe people who demean themselves. Rather, it’s used of people who are not self-reliant and instead are God-reliant. They are people who know that in themselves no good thing dwells. That their successes in life won’t come from depending on themselves but depending on the Lord. It’s not as the saying goes, “God helps those who help themselves.” Rather, God helps those who depend on Him. As I pondered this I looked up all the uses of this word and discovered several of the ways the Lord will intervene for someone who is God-reliant or humble. Here they are:
God hears and strengthens the humble. Psalm 10:17 says, “Lord, you have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts.”
God satisfies the humble. Psalm 22:26 says, “The humble will eat and be satisfied.”
God leads the humble. Psalm 25:9 says, “[The Lord] leads the humble in what is right.”
God gives aid to the humble. Psalm 147:6 says, “The Lord helps the humble.”
God delivers the humble. Psalm 149:4 says, “The Lord . . .adorns the humble with deliverance.”
God shows kindness to the humble. Proverbs 3:34 says, The Lord “gives grace (meaning kindness) to the humble.”
2. To produce Obedience:
In the wilderness the Israelites learn about obedience and the faithfulness of God. Obedience can often be miscontsrued to be something that is oppressive or demanding from God, when for the Israelites obedience was about witnessing to the world about God. This is not unlike our opportunity to shine God's light in the middle of the wilderness.
Exodus 19:4, “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself.”
Brought you to myself physically but also in the family.
This is the root of it all right here:
“If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
Let’s look at these three elements again here:
Treasured possession
kingdom of priests
holy nation
3. To know your heart:
The plan of God in leading the Israelites through the wilderness was to humble and test them, ultimately to reveal their true hearts and whether they would obey his commandments. This period of hardship served as a crucible, separating the genuine from the deceptive and revealing the depths of their faith and obedience.
The wilderness experiences exposed the Israelites' true motivations, desires, and whether they would obey God's commands. Deuteronomy 8:2
5) Revelation in the Wilderness
Deuteronomy 8:15 " He who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock"
The great and terrible wilderness: the wilderness (see 1.1) was vast and filled with dangers (also 1.19 for great and terrible).
Fiery serpents: New Revised Standard Version “poisonous snakes” is like Good News Translation (Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, New International Version “venomous snakes”). It is uncertain whether or not this refers to a fabulous creature, that is, a product of myths and legends, such as a dragon (see “flying serpent” in Isa 30.6). All in all it is better to follow Good News Translation and New Revised Standard Version. In some languages there will be different words for snakes, depending on whether they are poisonous or not. The poisonous variety should be chosen here.
Thirsty ground where there was no water: this is a description of desert wastes, “dry country without any water.” Good News Translation “dry and waterless land” is another good model. However, in some languages “dry and waterless” will be redundant; in such a case we may say, for example, “a land where people can find no water.”
Brought you water out of the flinty rock: see Num 20.2-13. Flinty rock means solid rock, not soft or loose rock. It is possible to make the action of the LORD clearer by saying, for example, “In that land where there is no water, he [Yahweh] split open a rock, and water poured out so that you could drink”
6) Provision in the Wilderness
Deuteronomy 8:16 "In the wilderness it was He who fed you manna which your fathers did not know, in order to humble you and in order to put you to the test, to do good for you in the end".
For the children of Israel, the journey from Egypt to the promised land included a 40-year extended stay in the wilderness! Moses spoke to the people to remind them of God’s faithfulness and provision throughout those difficult years: “The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These 40 years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.” (Deuteronomy 2:7)
1. Led by God:
“As many as are led by the Spirit”…learning to totally rely on God
When Israel left Egypt and entered the wilderness, they had to completely rely on God.
There’s a really important distinction in Deuteronomy 8:2 above that we can’t miss. God led them through the wilderness. Only God knows the path to get to the Promised Land.
God purposefully put the Israelites in a position where they had no choice but to rely on Him—there was nothing their own skill, strength, or smarts could do to defeat the might of Egypt.
And only He could bring them into the land He had promised them, just as it is only by God’s strength and mercy that we can have our sins forgiven, live a life of overcoming the world, and enter His kingdom (Ex. 13:6, Eph. 2:8).
It’s interesting to note that Pharaoh (as a symbol for society and the world) thought that the Israelites were confused and lost, even though they were being led by God (Ex. 14:3). That’s true for us today as well…society looks at us with bewilderment or even outright hostility when they see us heading away from civilization into the wilderness, following God and not man.
God even chose a specific route out of Egypt to avoid the land of the Philistines—not because He couldn’t protect them, but because He knew the Israelites were weak-hearted and that the prospect of war would make them turn tail back to Egypt in an instant (Ex. 13:17).
God knew the Israelites’ hearts and minds, how they would react to trials. It’s the same for us…God knows us and what we’re capable of, and we’re told that He won’t allow us to be tested beyond what we can bear (I Cor. 10:13).
For the 40 years that the Israelites were forced to wander through the wilderness, God knew exactly where they were and what they needed at all times. He had a path in mind, led them along it, and cared for them physically.
2. Supplied by God in the Wilderness:
God provided for every physical need that the Israelites had on their journey through the wilderness. He was the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, providing protection, shade, and light wherever they went (Neh. 9:5-15). His presence was visibly with them every second of the day.
He gave them manna, symbolizing the “daily” bread of life (the Word in us) we’re told to ask for. He sustained them through the heat of the desert with water, and even their shoes did not wear out (Deut. 2, 8, 9).
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you…” Exodus 16:4
“Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” Exodus 17:6
They were hungry. God sent manna. They were thirsty. God sent water gushing from a rock. Every day a miracle was right before their eyes. They just had to pick up the manna, drink the water, accept the blessing. Another time he made the bitter waters sweet again, so they could drink. Over and over, God provided for their needs.
And just like the people of Israel had to look to God to meet their needs, to be refreshed by what he offered, and gather the manna every morning in the wilderness, so it is with us. They couldn't store it up, they had to look for it daily. And God always provided, each morning it was there, waiting for them. Every day he made sure it met their needs, they were satisfied, they were nourished, they were cared for. And they never lacked, for God's resources never run dry.
3. Strength in the Wilderness:
I love this quote about the wilderness. It’s from the late Peter C. Craigie. He was an accomplished biblical scholar from Britain.
The wilderness tested and disciplined the people in various ways. On the one hand, the desolation of the wilderness removed the natural props and supports which man by nature depends on; it cast the people back on God, who alone would provide the strength to survive the wilderness. On the other hand, the severity of the wilderness period undermined the shallow bases of confidence of those who were not truly rooted and grounded in God.
The wilderness makes or breaks a man; it provides strength of will and character. The strength provided by the wilderness, however, was not the strength of self-sufficiency, but the strength that comes from a knowledge of the living God. (Craigie, Deuteronomy, pg. 185).
I love this quote because of the way it gives me a paradigm to understand my own wildernesses. We all have them. The underlining causes of our wildernesses and their particular outworking may be different, yet we all have them. But what do you do when you are in one? Where do you go for strength? When relationships are wounded, finances are weak, and health is fragile, what should we do? Shall we dig deeper into the “props and supports which man by nature depends on”? No, but we should dig deeper—deeper into God. If you are a Christian, your current wilderness is not a place of abandonment but a place where God draws you near (cf. Hosea 2:14–15).
And I love this quote because of its unexpected twist. Conventional wisdom would say that training and hardships make a man stronger because they teach his body and spirit to survive in such harsh conditions. And I suppose there is some truth in this. In a moderated form, this line of thinking is the basis of all athletic training. We detest running sprints at the end of soccer practice because they hurt. But, in time, we also know wind sprints make us strong. Yet, this type of strength—the strength that comes from the cycle of tearing down muscle fibers and letting them rebuild again—is not the strength the wilderness brings, at least this is not the strength that Craigie has in mind. The twist in this quote comes near the end. Over and over and over the wilderness breaks and re-breaks a man, but this breaking makes him stronger because he must learn the source of true strength: reliance upon God. In the wilderness, we come to the end of our natural strength to find the source of true strength.
