Dancing in the Wilderness

1. What does it mean to be in the wilderness

- As Christians there are various different seasons that we face.

Seasons of highs and seasons of lows

Seasons of joy and seasons of dispair

Seasons of blessing and seasons of waiting

A common problem that we can have is thinking that the Christian life is all roses, kittens and rainbows. And when things start going pear shaped we start to think we’ve done something wrong or that God has forgotten about us.

2. There will be trials

But Jesus said in John 16:33 that in this world we will have trials. Jesus promised us trials. So why would we think that we wont face them?

In the rest of that verse Jesus goes on to say, that we should take heart for He has overcome the world!

But how can we take heart? What should we do in these seasons of trials in the wilderness? Why does God bring us into these seasons?

James 1:2–4 ESV

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

3. Why does God bring us into seasons in the wilderness?

The simple reason that God brings us into the wilderness is to awaken us in some way.

God may be trying to awaken us more to the reality of who He is and who we are in Him.

He may do this in various different ways.

These ways could include:

Withholding from you something that you’ve asked for.

Bringing about pruning in relationships

Highlighting certain sinful habits and thought patterns that may be in you.

Highlighting things that you may be deeply struggling with.

God bringing us into the wilderness is done to give us more of what we need, rather than what we think we need. He gives us more and more of Himself.

So, the first thing that God does in the wilderness is that He gives us more and more of Himself.

Secondly, he bears fruit in us.

Thirdly, he may intentionally withhold things from us cause he knows what the consequences will be if He gives those things to us.

Examples of people or groups and the wilderness season

Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness after fleeing from Egypt before God called Him to be used to deliver Israel

Paul spent years in Arabia that are not highlighted as much as the successes of his ministrys are

Israel as a group also spent a season in the wilderness before entering the promised land

The last example is David and Saul

John Wesley

Conclusion

Let more and more of God’s love fill your heart while you are in the wilderness that there is no room for anything else