Finding Good in the Wilderness

This was my third trek to Israel. My last two trips I led tours. They were wonderful excursions, but I had more responsibility in leading and directing. This time was different. I was there to experience.We spent more time in wilderness areas than in my other two expeditions. We did a lot of hiking and ventured into some desolate areas. There was Mount Arbel, with sheer cliffs that bordered one of Israel’s three, “Valley of the Shadow of Death” locations. We ventured through a first-century street in Jerusalem, which is now underground, and ended up scrabbling through an ancient sewage tunnel. We waded through mud to an ancient first-century synagogue on the Golan Heights plateau, which was only recently discovered and not yet open to the public. We climbed up to the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were located. And we made our way into “The Devastation,” the wilderness area where Jesus was tempted.While we also visited some of the usual Holy Land hot spots, there was something special about these inhospitable places in Jesus’ earthly homeland. It was places of wilderness where Jesus sought retreat. Moses was called to rescue Israel from Egypt…in the wilderness. David wrote the majority of the Psalms…in the wilderness. Before entering ministry, the Apostle Paul went into seclusion…in the wilderness. Regarding godly people of faith in Biblical times, Hebrews 11:38 reads, “…of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.”I had my own wilderness experience as a young man while training for ministry. And of course, desolation, destitution, and loneliness are not fun. But times like that can be very good. My own wilderness experience was one of the most valuable buildings blocks of my life and ministry.It’s one thing to hear about other people’s wilderness experiences. It’s another to have to go through one yourself. I know there’s someone reading this right now who is. But whether or not this time of great difficulty becomes valuable will be determined by what you do with it. Will your wilderness experience drive you toward God (as with David and Paul), or away from him (as with Israel after escaping Egypt).There was a reason Jesus went into the wilderness. There’s a reason he sent his most treasured ambassadors there as well. And there’s a reason you are going through it right now. I pray you respond as David did in Psalm 63…“O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you!” (Psalm 63:1–3 NLT).