The Purpose of our Wilderness

There are times when we feel as if we are in a wilderness.  Instead of having meaningful things to do, our life is on pause.  There is no noticeable growth.  It is a hard place to be in, but God has His purposes even in the barren places of our lives.

Purpose.  That seems like the opposite of the dry barren wilderness.  But indeed, the wilderness is a place God assigns to us before our purpose is fulfilled.  Let us look at the book of Revelation, where we find two very different women in the wilderness.

The first woman is described as a woman pregnant with the Man Child, pursued by the serpent, the devil, and given wings to fly to the wilderness.  This is the place prepared for her where she is out of the serpent’s reach.  She also is taken care of there. (Rev 12:13-14).  The woman stands on the moon, and is clothed in the sun.  In real life the moon reflects the sun, therefore we see that this woman is the embodiment of Christians which reflect the light of the Son of God.

The second woman we read about is called a Harlot.  She also is in the wilderness (Rev 17:3). She is clothed in purple, with the adornment of jewels and gold. In the wilderness she rides the beast, or the spiritual movement that wars against the Lamb of God.  Her adornment represents outward royalty and faith, and, being a harlot, she is the embodiment of believers who have given their hearts to false religion (see Rev 17).

In our own wildernesses we too are kept by the Lord.  As a place appointed to shelter us, we find ourselves on “pause” from our usual routines and separated from that which brings outward growth.  That is because the Lord is looking for depth of faith.  We cannot get depth from others. The woman who was pregnant with the Man Child gave spiritual birth to others, who like Him, had the voice of God inside. It is called the Testimony of Jesus, or the Spirit of Prophecy (Rev 12:17, 19:10). Our depth of faith comes from listening to and obeying God’s voice and will preserve us during those times when others are following falsehood.  The wilderness precedes our intimacy with God. The people who remain under God’s provision there will become His Son’s Bride.

Those who grow uneasy in the wilderness, who seek purpose in the world, will become false, like the Harlot.  They become the “waters” she sits on (Rev 17:15). Finding it hard to trust in a God who is not making anything happen in their lives, they will succumb to worldly religious pursuits, leaving themselves open to the deception of the beast, the false prophet, the serpent.  It is during their wilderness that they turn away from intimacy with God, for they do not listen to His voice.

When we find ourselves in a wilderness, then we should know that the Lord is calling us to intimacy, preparing us as a Bride for Himself. Our hope in God’s purposes will cause us to trust Him to work our wildernesses out for our good as we look forward to the intimacy of being His Bride.  Let us not turn aside to idle works, nor grow bitter while our lives are on “pause,” but realize that God has His purpose in every wilderness.  Amen.