The Wilderness Seasons of Our Lives: Embracing God's New Beginnings
"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise."
Isaiah 43:18-21 NIV
These verses in Isaiah speak to the heart of the "wilderness" seasons of our lives. This passage also offers a robust framework for understanding how God uses the wilderness to shape and prepare us for new beginnings.
Don't Dwell in the Past
v18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past."
When the Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt, they found themselves in the wilderness—a place of uncertainty and hardship. They had watched God rain down plagues on Egypt and part the Red Sea to deliver them from 400 years of slavery.
Despite their newfound freedom and seeing the glory of God on full display, after less than two months in the desert, they were already complaining to the point of wishing they were dead.
"The Israelites said to them, 'If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.'" Exodus 16:3 NIV
They longed for the familiarity of Egypt, even if it meant returning to bondage. Despite all they endured as enslaved people, at least they knew how to live that way. The prospect of returning to slavery seemed more predictable and strangely comforting compared to the uncertainties of the desert.
This longing for the past is a natural human tendency, but God calls us to let go of what once was.
It's easy to look at this story and condemn the Israelites for being so short-sighted. But you have to remember, they had just survived plagues and death. They were also grieving, leaving the only home they had ever known, including their non-Jewish friends and family. Like the Israelites, we, too, can find ourselves looking back at our old ways of living and longing for what was (the comfort of the familiar) with an idealized view of what we had.
Consider the Israelite's journey: How often do we find ourselves clinging to old habits, relationships, or situations because they are familiar, even if they hinder our growth? God's call to "forget the former things" is an invitation to trust Them with our future, believing that They have something far better in store. Our job is to step out in obedience.
"Extraordinary moves of God begin with ordinary acts of obedience." - Steven Furtick
Reflection Questions:
What is God calling you out of?
How are you tempted to return to "Egypt"?
Where is God asking you to take a step forward in obedience?
Focus on God
v19 "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."
God's promise to do a new thing in our lives often comes during times of wilderness—those seasons of waiting, uncertainty, and trial. It is in these moments that God is at work, creating pathways where there seemed to be none and providing streams in the wasteland. The challenge is to perceive Their work and remain focused on Them instead of trying to make our own way under our own strength.
Like the Israelites, we may be tempted to take matters into our own hands, impatient with God's timing. Yet, it is in the waiting in the wilderness that our faith is refined, and our trust in God is deepened.
Biblical Examples of Waiting in the Wilderness
Jesus: After being baptized and honored by the voice from heaven, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan for 40 days. At a point of significant vulnerability, Jesus responded to the desert of temptation by praying, fasting, and holding onto the words of Scripture. This wilderness season marked the beginning of His ministry.
John the Baptist: John the Baptist fulfilled his calling to make a way for the Lord from the wilderness, to prepare the people for the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He preached while waiting for God to make Their move. His life embodies Isaiah's prophecy, "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'"- Isaiah 40:3 NIV.
Moses and Elijah: Both fasted in the wilderness for 40 days, each undergoing significant spiritual preparation for their missions. Moses sat in God's presence atop Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments. While sitting in a cave, Elijah experienced God's glory passing by and Their voice in a gentle whisper. Both of their stories demonstrate the transformative power of wilderness seasons.
The Significance of "Forty"
In the Bible, the number 40 often symbolizes new life, new growth, transformation, and a change from one great task to another great task. Similarly, our own wilderness seasons of testing and trials can be times of profound growth and preparation for new beginnings.
Reflection Questions:
What new thing is God inviting you into?
How are you keeping your eyes focused on Them so that you can perceive what Thy’re doing in your life?
How are you tempted to go ahead of God in your own timing and understanding instead of receiving what They has for you?
Seek God's Provision
v 20 "The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen,"
Nature itself teaches us about dependence on God's provision. Just as the wild animals rely on God for their sustenance, so too are we called to depend on Them for our needs.
Looking back at the story of the Israelites in Exodus, after crossing the Red Sea, in awe of Their glorious works, they worship YHWH in song (Exodus 15:1-20). Even after witnessing God's amazing provision and care, only three days later, they complain to Moses about not having water. God provides water (Exodus 15:25). Two months into their newfound freedom, they are again complaining about not having enough food. So, God provides food.
"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions." Exodus 16:4
Sabbath Rest
If God is providing for all of our needs, then what are They asking of us? To be obedient. The second part of this verse clearly states that our response should be to follow Their instructions—the same instructions given to Moses during his wilderness season atop Mount Sinai when he received the Ten Commandments.
The fourth of these commandments is to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy (Exodus 20:8-11). God was the first to celebrate the Sabbath at the dawn of creation, declaring the seventh day a period of rest, a pause, a time to celebrate all They had created. The inclusion of rest in the Ten Commandments was a reminder to the Israelites (and to us) of who God is and to bless them. Resting in obedience to God means stepping into God's blessings and provision, not idolizing ourselves and what we can accomplish.
In other words, God wants to bless us by doing the heavy lifting. The wilderness is a place where we can profoundly experience God's glorious provision, recognizing our need for the Living Water that only They can provide.
By resting and waiting patiently in our wilderness seasons, we are softening our hearts and minds to receive the good work that They are doing on our behalf.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you [HE] will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." -Phil. 1:6 AMP
Especially in the dry and barren places of our lives, God's provision becomes a testimony to Their faithfulness, Thier glory on display, for which we should praise Them continually. It is in the wilderness that we learn to trust in Their sufficiency and rest, knowing that YHWH will provide exactly what we need when we need it.
Reflection Questions:
What can we learn about nature and its dependence on God's provision?
Where do you need God to refresh you with Living Water?
How is God asking you to be dependent on Them?
Where are you creating an idol of self-reliance?
Glorify God Through Worship
v21 "the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise."
God has chosen us and formed us for a purpose: to proclaim Their praise. Even in the wilderness, our lives can reflect Their glory. But we were not created just to be provided for; we were created to worship God in Thier glory.
As Psalms 145:10a,11-12 tells us, "All the works praise you, LORD... they tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom." All of creation, including the flora and fauna, were created to praise their Maker. Like the jackals and owls, we, YHWH’s chosen people, were created to honor God.
Christopher J. H. Wright, Director of John Stott Ministries, wrote, "Creation exists for the praise and glory of its Creator God, and for mutual enjoyment between the Creator and the created." Essentially, glorifying and enjoying God is the paramount call to all of creation. He goes on to say that "as humans we praise God with hearts and hands and voices, with rationality as well as emotion, with language, art, music and craft— with all that reflects the God in whose image we were made."
The way we navigate these challenging seasons can be a powerful testimony to others of God's goodness and faithfulness. Praising God in the wilderness requires a heart posture of gratitude and trust, even when circumstances are difficult. Like the psalmists, we must selah, pause and praise our Creator. In these moments of praise, we declare our faith in God's promises and Their ability to bring about new beginnings.
"Sometimes you have to go through the wilderness before you get to the Promised Land."-John Bytheway
Reflection Questions:
How is God wanting to show Thier glory through you?
What does praise for God look like in your wilderness season?
The wilderness seasons of our lives are not without purpose. They are times of preparation, transformation, and renewal. As we let go of the past and embrace the new things God is doing, we find that They are indeed making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. May we perceive Their work, depend on Their provision, and proclaim Their praise, knowing that YHWH is faithful to complete the good work They have begun in us.
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