In Times of Change: The Wilderness

Sometimes God takes me through a wilderness. I find myself in a wilderness now. It isn't a terribly painful wilderness like previous trips have been, but it is a lonely one. I started thinking about how many people I know who are going through their own wildernesses spiritually and emotionally. Suddenly, I realized that, while the wilderness can be lonely, I am far from alone. Aside from Christ walking beside me, I have many brothers and sisters in Him who are walking through this wilderness too. We're not necessarily walking together all the time, but sometimes we stop and lean on each other or yell an encouragement to each other when we come across each other in the Desert of Change and Healing.
Two summers ago I went through a wilderness much more severe than this one. I was leaving APU and striking out on my own in the O.C. On top of that, my family was going through some very tough times and I was healing from a romance that ended painfully. That summer was stressful. That summer was lonely. But that summer, God gave me a gift. One day after work, I walked into the prayer chapel at Azusa Pacific to pray and listen for God's voice. In the big bible that was left open for students to use and write notes in, I turned to Isaiah 55. I didn't know what was in that chapter, so I feel that God directed me there. Verses 8 through 13 really stood out to me. This is what it says:

Isaiah 55:8-13
New American Standard Bible (NASB)


8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
12 “For you will go out with joy
And be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 “Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up,
And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up,
And [a] it will be a [b] memorial to the LORD,
For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 55:13 I.e. the transformation of the desert
2. Isaiah 55:13 Lit name

WOW! Did you get that? There is SO much packed in there! First, God reminded me that HE was in control and that HE had a plan. He very clearly told me, just as He told Israel, that He did not send things out without letting them prosper! There is NO sowing without a harvest when it comes to His work and His plan for us! On top of that, God EXCLAIMED that He would send me where He wanted me with joy and peace in my heart! It was a promise. Lastly, when I re-examined this verse tonight, I learned something new. Did you see footnote a? "And [the transformation of the desert] will be [named] a memorial to the Lord!" The transformation of my desert? Of my wilderness? You can use that for your glory, God?
YES! He can. He does. And He will. Praise the LORD!

Let Me Be

Where I am now spiritually and emotionally... Broken and lonely, but trusting God to heal and fill the emptiness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LET ME BE

Here I am again
Sitting here all alone
He won’t look my way
He won’t pick up the phone
And it breaks my heart
To have lost such a friend
These things crumble apart in the end

Yet I know that the reasons I’m here
Are for all the right reasons
You’ve made that much clear
And Lord, as you pick up the pieces of me
I hear you suggest that I should let me be
Lonely

Starting over
Isn’t easy at all
All the noise in life
Seeps through these walls
My thoughts churn
And frustration begins
Over all of this clatter within

Yet I know that the reasons I’m here
Are for all the right reasons
You’ve made that much clear
And Father, as we commune in private
I hear you suggest that I should let me be
Quiet

There is healing here
Though I’ve yet to learn why
All my questions
Lord, I don’t mean to pry
I know that I must trust in your plan
Though I confess to not understand

Yet I know that the reasons I’m here
Are for all the right reasons
You’ve made that much clear
And Lord, as you repair this heart that you’ve woven
I hear you suggest that I should let me be
Broken


Copyright DAS, 2011