The Wilderness

"Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And He said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" Genesis 16:6-8

Stumbling in the "desert" is a weary, dry, lonely place for anyone to be. Sometimes, as children of God, we may wonder how on earth we can end up in a place where God seems nowhere to be found. One day, we are on fire for Jesus, craving His Word and His presence, worshiping Him on "the mountaintop". Then suddenly or gradually, our descent leads us flat to the bottom, and before we know it, we are in the "wilderness valley" in our walk with Christ. ...

Occasionally the Holy Spirit leads us there Himself, as He did Jesus, to test our faith. He desires for us to trust Him still, despite our surroundings and our emotions. Our tests in this place are personal, between us and our Sovereign LORD. Often times, it is in this place, where He beckons us to be still before Him. He will take us there to slow us down. Will we choose to meditate on His Word and pray during this time of aimless wandering?

There are other times when your walk with Christ is going "smoothly and sweetly", and suddenly the Enemy, Satan, attempts to devour us and pull us into the pit. Our guard toward him becomes weakened because we are content and complacent in our daily relationship with Christ. The last battle we expect is the fiery darts and trials of our Adversary. We get side-swiped, and suddenly the face of God drifts farther and farther away from our own. Thus the wandering begins.

Other times, we induce ourselves there. When we ignore the Spirit prompting us to seek Him, to spend time with Him, and devour His Word, the wilderness can come quickly to our door. God has not moved.

For whatever reason, we have. We aimlessly wonder, with our hearts and souls downcast…

"ADONAI, WHERE ARE YOU?! PLEASE PULL ME OUT OF THIS DESOLATE PLACE! DO YOU EVEN SEE ME? DO YOU EVEN CARE?

And then, we hear a gentle, merciful voice, asking us to remember where we came from. The very Breath of God prompts us to remember past blessings, and to think of who we were before He saved our souls.

"Where have you come from?"
"Where are you going?"

Our hearts stir with life, as we recall how much our Father in Heaven loves us and truly has wonderful plans for us. He quickens our souls as we long to go wherever He is. The wilderness creates a craving for fellowship with the LORD God Almighty. We just cannot live without Him. Our souls thirst for Him and our bodies long for Him in this dry and weary land…

Have you ever noticed, once your journey in the Wilderness is complete, how our Merciful LORD beckons us to drink of His Living Water?

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One Who Sees Me. " (Genesis 16:13).

God sees you, Precious One, as you wander in the wilderness. He gazes past your sin and into your heart, and all that it longs for. He watches you faithfully, never taking His eyes away… Yahweh pursues you in the desert…

El Roi… the God Who Sees You…

Do you see Him?

Found by the spring in the desert,

         Alison