We just spent a week in the Smokey Mountains, one of my most favorite places ever. (Don't you just love that there sentence structure?)
I love the creeks, the forest, and the amazing views of the mountains. It's a place where I can just see God's handiwork. As I looked at the forest this week, I thought about the word “wilderness.” I think it came to mind so much because I'm studying the Israelites time in the wilderness. They were in a barren desert without water or food. The wilderness of the Smokey Mountains is lush, green forest full of animals, vegetation and lots of fish. It's anything but barren.
What about our wilderness?
I thought about the Israelites and their desert and wondered if God ever put us in a place of total dependence on Him. We don't walk in a desert or
do we?
Our deserts are often filled with stuff and noise. It looks good and fun. It sounds wonderful and the smells are incredible.
Our deserts are often like the mountains I love so much. The rivers look beautiful and refreshing and they can be, but they are also treacherous. The beautiful moss covered rocks are gorgeous. The moss is like glass in some places and if you're not careful, you'll end up flat on your back.
The water? It's wonderful and refreshing (particularly when one is the throes of a hot flash – just a little public service announcement) — and it's horribly dangerous. Those refreshing waters can sweep your feet right out from under you and pull you down stream faster than you can shout NATURE lover.
The trees create a canopy that is both inviting and peaceful, but just a few steps off a trail and you find yourself horribly lost.
In our wilderness we find people who support a self-serving ‘look out for number one' attitude. In our wilderness we find slippery slopes of half truths and not-quite lies, raging waters of sinful lifestyles that can suck you in and downstream before you know it.
The wilderness we walk in or near is just as treacherous as the desert beyond the Red Sea where the Israelites wandered for 40 years
Are you walking in this wilderness? Are you ready to walk on out? Is the promise of happiness growing thin and are you willing to trust God to deliver you to the Promised Land He has for you?
Trust Him.