Waiting in the Wilderness

Its not how long your wilderness is, but what you do while waiting.

Have you ever been in a doctor's waiting room or the waiting lounge at the airport? If you look around, you see how different people wait; some people put their headphones on and listening to music in order to block out everything around them, others read a book, other pace up and down and other like yourself, "people watch" (be honesty we have all done it).



When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they did different things to pass the time; they worshipped idols, they argued amongst themselves, they complained and they walked a lot.
But can you imagine is they had spent the 40 years praising and worshipping God what the journey may have been like instead.(They probably wouldn't have had to take 40 years to do a journey that could have taken a number of days)

Right now you may be facing a wilderness in life and  it feels like you are going nowhere or you are moving but nothing is happening, this can be really frustrating but these times of wilderness are essential for equipping you for the land you are about to enter into. So it is very important what you do during your time of wilderness.

If you know you have been slacking in your prayer life or in reading you bible then this is a time to try and get things back on track. During a time wilderness it is good to encourage yourself with the word and listen for the voice of Lord, and in all of it the key is to increase your intimacy with God.
Think about it, after the death of Moses, Joshua was chosen to lead the people into the promised land; now he was not chosen because he was handsome or a great man of war, we see in Joshua chapter 1 that he was afraid of leading the people. The reason he was chosen to lead was because of how he had spent his time in the wilderness:
1. He was Moses' assistant ( Joshua 1:1), so he was learning how to be in line with the heart of God
2. When the Israelites said they couldn't take Canaan, Joshua said " yes we can, With God on our side" (heavily paraphrased from Numbers 14:6-9) Because of this Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter the promised land from their generation.
3. During the time in the wilderness and by the laying of hands,  he became filled with wisdom (Deuteronomy 34:9)

So if you are in a season of wilderness, use your waiting time wisely;
Don't try and isolate yourself like the person with headphones on, Don't give in to all your distractions like the person reading a book, Don't worry and become anxious like the person pacing up and down and Don't watch what is happening in everyone else's life while life passes you by.

Do get along aside a friend, a mentor,a leader, Pastor who can encourage you and pray with you; isolation at times can cause you to fall into a pit of misery and despair so please have someone you can be accountable to and can just check up on you.

Do try and spend some alone time praying and mediating on the word; I know its hard because we all live busy lives but making some private peaceful time can really help you to reassess life and reconnect with the Father.

^{Do try to stop pacing and trying to figure out your plan A,B, C etc. God knows the plan He has for you  and He knows what he is doing if you would trust Him.  '}Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.' (Philippians 4:6) 
'Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.' ( Joshua 1:9)

Do look at your own life, yes people may have it better than you right know but jealously gets you no where. Even though its hard you have to be content. Now being content does not mean faking that you are happy when in fact you are falling apart, it is being aware that you may not have the perfect life right now but the fact you have are alive is a blessing from God and that you are another day closer to achieving your destiny. (John 21:20-22)

So if you are in your season of wilderness, use your waiting time wisely;because the Lord is getting ready to take you into your promised land :)