Image by Melissa Clayton
Matthew 4:1-11, Exodus 3, Genesis 22:1-19
Whether you’ve actually lived in the desert or you’re experiencing a dry season in your life, these empty, trying times force us to wait on the Lord.
Throughout the Bible, we see the desert as a setting that God uses to test the faith of His most faithful servants. Moses, Abraham, and Jesus Himself were all tested in the desert. It’s where they waited on the Lord.
And that’s what the desert is — waiting.
When we found ourselves stranded in the desert last year, we were forced to wait. I was brought to my own knees out of desperation.
Last December when my kids and I went home for Christmas, we drove through 1,000 miles of desert. There’s no fast-forwarding. No teleporting from one side to the next in a split second.
It’s waiting on the Lord to bring us out of the barrenness.
Waiting for His provision.
Waiting for His instruction.
Waiting may not be your greatest strength — it’s definitely not mine. Waiting seems like a waste of time, but it doesn’t have to be. We don’t have to sit and twiddle with our thumbs until we’re out of the desert. In fact, we shouldn’t just sit and twiddle.
These 40 days of Lent (or our own seasons of waiting) isn’t a season for moping or grudgingly giving up meat on Fridays. Nor is it a time to just get through. The desert is so much more than that.
It is a call to action. What are you waiting on the Lord for? A job you applied for? A loan approval? The pain to stop?
I invite you, in the midst of your trying time, to be patient. (Trust me, I’m the last person to say that.) Don’t make any impulsive decisions and act on something. Wait on the Lord instead because He might just open the door any time.
Ask God the right questions. Instead of throwing your hands up in the air and asking Him why, ask what miracle does He have laid out for you that you’re maybe not seeing. How does He want you to grow in this test?
Instead of sitting and twiddling, reach out to someone else who’s experiencing a season of waiting, and encourage them.
This Lenten season, allow the Father to mold you into the vibrant desert rose you were meant to be.
So that you can bloom where we’re planted.
To lean on Jesus to take the burden, and to know that His Grace can and will bring you out of this test.
Peace be with you, my gorgeous faithful sister.
