As a family, we have encountered some difficulty in recent months. In many ways, it has felt like a wilderness or desert season. By this I mean a season that is barren and desolate, dry and dusty. A season where things rich and lush have disappeared and abundance has been replaced by sparseness. I have never lived in or near the desert but I have visited. I have been to the deserts in the Southwestern states of our nation, including Arizona, New Mexico and California. I have also had the privilege of visiting the desert nation of Israel. I have a love for the outdoors and of nature and enjoy all types of typography and landscapes. The desert is probably my least favorite, mainly due to my unfamiliarity with it but also due to the dirt and the dust.
I read a passage recently that stirred my fascination with the desert. It came from a book entitled “The Book of Mysteries” written by New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Cahn. In describing the desert, Mr. Cahn admitted that most people, myself included, equate the desert to hardship or difficulty. Yet, he describes the desert as a special place, even a holy place. He notes that the Hebrew word for desert comes from the same root as the word voice. He further unpacks the idea that the desert is a holy meeting place where God takes his children to speak to them. This was true of Moses, where he heard the voice of God in the burning bush in the desert. This was true of Elijah, where God spoke to him in a still small voice in the desert. This was true of the nation of Israel, when God lead them out of Egypt where they were held captive for 400 years, only to be liberated by journeying through the desert. This was true of John the Baptist, where people went to the desert to hear him proclaiming the Gospel. And this was also true of Jesus, who went to the desert for 40 days and nights to begin his ministry and after that regularly escaped to the desert to pray.
If the desert is a special place, even a holy place, where I can meet with God and hear his voice, instead of trying to avoid the hardness and the barrenness, the dirt and the dust, maybe I should venture into it. Maybe the desert should become a favorite dwelling place. I find myself longing for the desert. Maybe you do too!
When I visited Israel, and walked that ancient desert soil, I was overwhelmed to learn of the lush produce and vegetation that the country produced. As we toured the nation, everywhere we went we saw trees full of dates and figs. We also learned that Israel grows and exports a tremendous volume of fruits, vegetables and flowers to the other nations in the region and beyond, unprecedented for such a tiny desert country. Israel truly is a fruitful land and an oasis in the desert. May the same thing be said of our lives. May God lead us to deserts, hard and barren places, so that He may meet with us and speak to us. And may those intimate encounters with God produce great fruit and may an oasis arise out of our deserts.
Therefore, I am going to persuade her, lead her to the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her vineyards back to her and make the Valley of Achor (Trouble) into a gateway of hope.
Hosea 2:14-15
Comments 10
Good word Danny! It reminds me of where I grew up. The San Joaquin Valley in California without the water that has been channeled into the valley from the mountains is nothing but desert. But with an irrigation system, the valley becomes some of the most fertile farm land on the planet producing food that is sent all over the world. 😊
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Amazing that a desert can be transformed and so fruitful. Thanks for sharing Stan.
Great perspective – I always love the thought of God making streams flow in the desert places – something only He can do!
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Agreed. Thanks for the feedback honey!
This is good stuff, DK. I need to hear this and remember that the desert is a time of fruitful revelation. If Jesus was led into the wilderness, so can I.
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Let’s be courageous to go to the desert ourselves to seek God.
Looking back on my life, the richest lessons of God and myself came in desert times. Even today, while I’m not in a desert, I find that I’m drawing strength and power from the well that was hewn in the desert of Colorado Springs years ago. I remember those difficult, dry, years and and crying out to God. And I remember His kindness and mercy towards me, often expressed through you my friend. Thank you for standing with me in my desert and being an anchor of strength and encouragement. I’m honored to be your friend! Pete
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Our tendency is to want to rescue those in the desert. Yet, this is the place where we meet God, where He speaks deeply and does significant work in our lives. What a beautiful testimony you, Mary Kay and the kids have of that season. God is good even in difficulty. That doesn’t make it easier. But it does make it worth it!
Sometimes deserts make you thankful for the smallest things.
Things that you normally take for granted.
Water, shade and the simple joys in life.
Deserts are underrated…
From a New Mexican.
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Good stuff Mark. Thanks for sharing.