Understanding the Dual Purpose of Wilderness Situations

A wilderness situation can be described as circumstances we go through that are painful, unbearable, and almost impossible to endure. People going through wilderness situations feel that they have been robbed of every source of joy and happiness and sentenced to a period of depression, misery, and hopelessness.

Often we struggle to see anything good about wilderness situations. How could harsh and unfriendly circumstances ever produce anything good?

In the Bible, the children of Israel, after their exodus from Egypt, completely missed the point of their wilderness experience. We too commonly have the wrong perspective about adverse situations that come our way.

Although their 40-year journey through the wilderness came as a punishment for their unbelief, God’s purpose of taking them through that ordeal was that they would come to appreciate the tender-hearted care He bestowed upon them.

Each challenge they encountered was God allowing them to experience His divine intervention. He had a thought-out solution for each problem the children of Israel faced—The red sea was there to drown Pharaoh’s chariots and not to hinder the Israelites from escaping Egypt.

Devotional

Journeying through
the Wilderness

The Good Shepherd that leads us beside still waters also leads us into and through the wilderness.

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Purpose 1

Some challenges are not setbacks, but a means to eradicate persistent, oppressive issues. Such constraints can be inextricably bound to a person’s life and remain unchecked until a surpassing pressure snuffs out its existence.

The heat of the fire is not meant to destroy silver but to eliminate impurities.

Therefore, the real purpose of wilderness challenges is to act as God’s tool to deal with persistent problems in our lives that require intense pressure to be dissolved.

It is important to note that the persistent problem could be a character flaw that God wants to correct.

Purpose 2

God also uses these challenges as opportunities to prove to us His ever-abiding presence and power.

If you consider each crisis the Israelites faced while on their journey to Canaan, you’d note that God already had a pre-existing method by which He resolved each challenge.

The unassuming Rock was already present with the Israelites to provide water to quench their thirst. Nothing took Him by surprise. God knew the way, and He led them faithfully through the wilderness.

Had the Israelites learnt this truth earlier in their journey, their season in the wilderness would have been less tragic and harsh than it was.

Are you going through a wilderness situation?

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