Joy in the Wilderness

With a recent job change, I have spent the last 4-5 months feeling like I am wandering in the wilderness… in isolation. Now, I’m not talking about literal isolation… no. I’m talking about being in a room of a hundred people and even though you interact with them you still feel like no one truly sees you… truly knows your heart or your worth…. That type of isolation. That type of wilderness is hard, lonely, depressing, sometimes physically and most definitely emotionally exhausting, but often necessary.
How many times in the Bible do we see the wilderness play a starring role in the movie of a character’s story? Genesis 37 tells us that Joseph and his brothers were grazing their flocks in the fields when he was sold into slavery. Exodus 3 states that Moses “led the flock to the far side of the wilderness” when he encountered the burning bush. Then, of course, there’s possibly the two most famous stories of the wilderness in the Bible… when Pharaoh and the Egyptians pursued the Israelites to the Red Sea and then the 40 years that the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness where God provided daily manna and quail from heaven. Elijah spent time in the wilderness while God shielded him from harm. We see in David’s life countless times that God hid him in isolation for his protection. You see, in each of those stories, the wilderness played a vital role in changing the direction of their lives. We know that Joseph and his coat of many colors went on from being sold into slavery to becoming second in command and ultimately saving thousands of lives during a famine. Moses’ encounter with the burning bush changed the course of his life to lead the Israelites out of captivity and set the stage for God to display His power, authority, and provisions time and time again. Elijah’s time in the wilderness developed in him the faith and steadfastness he needed to call fire down from heaven so that the nearly 1,000 false prophets could see the existence of the One, True God. David’s time in hiding protected his life to fulfill the prophecy that a Savior would be born from the house of David. You see, in each of these situations, their time in the wilderness served a direct purpose to God’s plan for their lives.
So then, how can we find joy in that wilderness when it is unpleasant and painful? By choosing. Joy is not an emotional feeling but rather a posture of our heart. It comes from the position of complete surrender to the place where God has you. The joy comes from pushing back into God’s provisions in that wilderness and seeking Him, trusting Him, and ultimately resting in Him. Being in the wilderness doesn’t mean that it is pleasant or enjoyable. We may even be angry about being there. However, when we make the conscious choice to tell God that we trust His plan rather than our own, He begins to change our heart towards joy. The bible very clearly tells us in Matthew 6:33 to “seek first the kingdom of God and HIs righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” Jeremiah 29:13 tells us that “you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” God promises time and time again that if we seek Him, WE WILL FIND HIM. When we set our sights on God rather than our circumstances, our hearts will begin to align with God’s calling and plan for our life. Oftentimes, we have to begin by speaking those declarations of surrender and trust long before our emotions follow. That is what the beginning of surrendering looks like. As we voice “Father your will and not mine” God begins to stir in us, dismantling those negative feelings and heartaches to reveal a new beauty, inner strength, and dependence that can only come from those periods of time spent in the wilderness.
So, as I close, I will leave you with the verse that God gave me at the beginning of my job change… the verse that has been my mantra for this year and continues to give me hope and peace.
                                    Isaiah 43: 18-19
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.
 
Now go sister and choose joy❤
 
With Heartfelt Confessions,
 
Tiffany