GROWTHAre we there yet? The people of God were on a journey. 200 miles. They could do it in a few weeks. But God had another route in mind Exodus 13: 17Guided by God. Exodus 13: 21 The pillar of cloud is going the wrong way! First lesson When God leads He doesn’t go in a hurry. Second lesson God takes His people to the Promised Lane by way of the desert. If we want to know God and fulfil His purposes in our lives, then we’ll need to learn the lessons well. Israel - 40 years in the desert Moses - 40 years Elijah - 40 days Jesus - 40 days Everyone is going to spend some time in the desert. Often the desert is triggered by an event. Sometimes there seems no reason at all. St. John of the Cross called it “the dark night of the soul”
The desert is where you find out about yourself. It’s aboutwill, choices, perseverance. Will you trust God when all positive feelings are gone? Will you follow when following is no longer easy? Will you say, like Job, “Though He slay me yet will I hope in Him.” Job 13: 15 Yet there’s an oasis in the desert where the work of God’s love can speak to a deeper place in our hearts. We find out that our faith is not about doing but being. The desert is where we come to know God more deeply. The desert was intended by God to be life beyond achievement. In God’s desert we learn that we can’t save ourselves and we can’t set ourselves free. The Christian life can’t be lived by our own strength and resources. We begin to learn truths that we can’t learn any other way. James 1: 2-4 We learn to look to Jesus as never before, as One who truly knows how we feel. Hebrews 12: 1-3 In the desert we haven’t been abandoned. God is at work. He’s shaping us to be who we were created to be. Learn to wait on God Isaiah 40: 28-31 Be assured that according to His Word He is out to do you good, just as He was with His people of old.
Jeremiah 29: 11-13
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