“Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea, as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.” (Deuteronomy 2:1 NIV)
Disobedience extends our displacement and our discomfort, but sometimes there is something more happening, too. Sometimes there’s a lesson to be learned instead of a confession to be heard.
Remember, after a salvation experience, we all walk through a season of sanctification – a wilderness where we learn to trust in God’s provision and follow His direction. We are daily taking steps toward or away from His Promised Land. Disobedience further contributes to our desert drifting: extending it, perpetuating it, adding to it’s unpleasantness.
If we feel stuck in a particularly unpleasant place, perhaps it’s time to examine our heart. We can ask ourselves a couple of questions that may shed light on our current location.
Am I in disobedience?
Is there something God has asked us to say or do or surrender? Have we followed through? Are we living diligent in divine direction? Is our life lined up with His word? Rebellion pushes us back into the dustiest stretches of the sanctifying desert.
The second question is far harder to answer.
What do I need to learn in this season?
Perhaps there’s a pattern in our story that God is pressing us to correct? Maybe there is a personality issue that requires refining. Sometimes a particular character trait needs to take on some muscle, but the opposite can be true, too. A great deal of humbling happens in the barren places between salvation and complete sanctification.
Honestly, it can be tough to accurately articulate between sin areas and growth opportunities in the desert with the limitations of our own perspective. We need the help of the Holy Spirit and the black and white unbias of the Bible to identify our transgressions and learn Kingdom lessons. A little soul-searching in the Word every day goes a good long way. A diligent personal study and prayer habit will push us considerably forward in the sanctification process.
“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV)
Thoroughly equipped Christians tend to look far more like Christ. All He did was good and that’s the image we are being remade into. Wilderness seasons are good for repentance and growth. We are wise when we cooperate with the environment and stretch toward the goal that God has for us.
Lord, please help us in the midst of our wilderness wandering. Give us divine insight on our situation. Reveal the sin still in our lives and lead us to repentance. Teach us to lean in to Your Holy Spirit’s leading for the lessons that will further transform us into Your image. May we cooperate and continue to move forward as You call us into total transformation. Amen.