Deserts

I'm in one right now.  No, not a physical desert, an emotional one.  Despite all my so-called insights and revelations, I am not immune to the dry and arid places of the soul. 

I won't go into a lot of detail about it on this, the world wide web, but neither will I be inauthentic.  I would never want someone to read my blog and think, "Wow, she's got it all together.  I wish I could be that spiritual."  

One of the good things about the Christian life is that the longer we live it, the more opportunities God has to mercifully bring us out of these deserts, and the more likely we are to finally, reluctantly even, trust that He will bring us out indeed.

I learned something interesting about the word desert.  There are several different Hebrew words that translate to "desert," and one of those words is "midbar," which comes from the root "dabar," which means "to lead."  I like that.  

We all face deserts at one point or another, and there is plenty of Biblical precedent for them: Moses, David, Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus.

God led each of them to a desert, but he did not abandon them there.  My former pastor once said, "Remember that God's diverting of you to this place is not God's denying to you in this place."

So, in the spirit of giving thanks in all things . . . Thank you, God, for the desert I am in right now.  Thank you that I am not alone here because You are always with me and have promised never to forsake me.  Thank you for the faithfulness You have shown to me in the past and for how Your Spirit ever so gently, ever so patiently, reminds me of those times.  

Remembrance can be a lifeline for a Believer.  That's why God told His people to build memorials and to tell of His deeds from generation to generation.  So, trust me, when you find yourself in a desert - and you will - say a prayer of thanks.  Once God has brought you out - and He will - it will be another link in your lifeline of remembrance.