The Wilderness Experience

What do Moses, Joseph, Jacob, Elijah, David, Abraham, the people of Israel, John the Baptist, Mary, Hannah and Jesus have in common?

Oh yes, you are right!!!! The dreaded but life changing and God orchestrated……….. WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE.

In July of 2006 I received a word from the Lord announcing the beginning of my Wilderness experience.   It sounding something like this, “ Jeannette, I see you singing and only dust is coming out of your mouth”. Immediately, I said to myself Lord, I know that but did You have to announce it to the entire room. Then it only got worse as I was told it’s not because you are doing something wrong, it’s because you are doing something right. The Lord is drilling in you because rivers of living water will flow out of you. The Lord said I need to dig deep (Ouch) and let you go through some things and even in those things you will hit some things in your life that are dry. 

My mind was racing in an attempt to understand this all. I remember being shocked that it was “because I am doing something right.” 

Can you get a sense for how encouraged I was? (sarcasm)

But the Lord in His loving way did send some encouragement saying, “I have heard every cry and prayer and you have said Lord you have been so silent. But I Lord have been silent for a reason I am drilling and digging so that the rivers of living water may flow forth.”

Here it is the end of 2012 and I am finally able to look back and understand what it  means to journey into the WILDERNESS.

The wilderness is  a very intimate and personal place with few times of refreshing. The best way to describe it is as if there are realms of the wilderness experience.  As I started the journey there were times of wonderful intercession and faith knowing the Lord was always with me regardless of how I felt. Then came the climax of this experience where my companion day and night was darkness and despair. At which time I combed through the Psalms looking for relief and joining King David in his song, “Do not cast me away from your presence, And do not take your Holy Spirit from me.” I have read the Psalms my entire adult life and it was not until now could I truly understand these words.

Now that the darkness has passed and the light of Christ has shine forth in my mind, soul and spirit I can comprehend at least for this intended season the workmanship of the Lord.

Have my natural circumstances changed? No, in fact for those looking from the outside it may seem even drier then ever. Thank God, He does not look at the outer appearance but He looks at the heart.

The Hebrew word for wilderness is midvar, the root word is davar which means the arrangement of things to create order. We are taken into the WILDERNESS so that the Lord can perfectly arrange our lives to fit into His Kingdom purposes.

Stay tuned for lessons learned in the Realms of the Wilderness.