One In a Million "Oh, No!"
"Oh, no! Mama Boo has on a BIG hat!"
"Oh, no!" is a favorite quote of our grandson when something falls or one of his Thomas the Train engines derails. I am beginning to feel a similar need of utterance, as again and again God is dropping messages to me through Bible study, Sunday sermons, my quiet time on the topic of following Him in the wilderness.
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are My ways, declares the Lord.
Isaiah 55:8
The Bible study title for week two of One in a Million is "Welcome to the Wilderness". The author begins: "If you've made a decision with me to leave Egypt and fully embrace the journey with God, I have a warning: This journey will not be easy. It will test your faith, stretch your belief system, and challenge your level of commitment-but onward we must go. We know that God's destination will be filled with everything we need and so much of what we want. Is it worth this difficult journey? Absolutely!"
This week's study expresses the reality that the Israelites anticipated a fairly short journey as they were led out of slavery to the Promised Land. Shirer writes, "From Israel's present location on the east side of the Red Sea to southern Canaan was approximately 150 miles, which had the people gone directly, would have taken less than a month to traverse...Note that the Hebrews didn't just happen upon the wilderness...God led them there, directing their steps according to His divine plan. (Exodus 14:1-4). When lifted against the backdrop of our own standards, thoughts and expectations, the road God chooses for us is often not the road we might expect. He often chooses a wilderness journey for us to give us an opportunity to experience Him in a way we might miss in a place of ease and convenience."
She continues, "God allowed the people to camp in Etham to prepare for their wilderness trek. From Etham Israel had a clear view of the vast and dry wilderness stretching out before them. They could see the difficulty they'd face if God continued to move them in that direction. Their hearts probably palpitated with anxiety as they considered their future. With Egypt behind them and a wilderness before them, they had to do a heart check. Would they follow God even if the way was difficult? Only wholehearted devotion would ensure their entry into the promised land. I believe Etham describes the place where God gives a vision of what's coming. It's the place of final decision where God lets us camp out to consider the challenge ahead. Whether He's asking us to stay in a rough marriage, to mother difficult children, to accept singleness, to choose full-time ministry, to let go of friendships, to suffer illness, or to navigate a situation we feel we can't survive, we have to decide if we will follow where He is leading and trust that He knows what He is doing. Etham is the place where you don't know all of the details of the life God is choosing, but a quick look at the tumbleweed blowing across the landscape lets you know it will be dry."
Personally, I think God places me in the wilderness to humble me, strip me of my pride and bring me to a place of submission before Him, so he can get on with the process He intended for my life.
Oh, no! Where in life do I need an Exodus? Show me Lord...preferably without taking me into the wilderness.
