The Wilderness Experience

Deuteronomy 8:2 And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

Wilderness experiences are some of the most important times in the believer’s life. Admittedly, these are not pleasant but instead times of intense struggle, pain and suffering. Yet, these seasons of wilderness are absolutely essential in the maturation process of every believer. Only in the wilderness will our pride be exposed and stripped away. And only in the wilderness will we discover the true condition of our heart: whether it be a heart of faith or one of self-reliance. The wilderness has a way of exposing us for who we really are and reveals our need for God. It will either provoke us to disqualification or prepare us for the work the Lord has ordained for us. Before Moses led the people out of Egypt he endured a wilderness experience. Before David became the king of Israel he suffered through a wilderness experience. Even before Jesus began His ministry He was tried in a wilderness experience. It is God who allows the wildernesses of our lives but He will never leave us alone there and is always leading the way. We must remember that when we find ourselves in the wilderness, it is a place of revelation and preparation; and all of God’s great servants have walked the rocky path before us.