I want to grow in the Lord. I long for a closer relationship with you God. I want to see you Lord. This is code for bring on the wilderness moments Lord! Yeah , you read right, God does some awesome work on our character and growth of our spiritual lives in those moments we would rather avoid altogether.
If you are serious about your relationship with Christ, then growth is everything. We will pray and ask to know God more with renewed intimacy. Such a prayer in itself is a sign that you want to grow and I am sure it is one of those prayers that make the heart of the Father smile over His children as they mature and long to know Him more and more. Sure enough He longs to reveal Himself to us. He longs to have us know Him more intimately and have a close relationship with Him. This is one desire, one prayer He not only longs to hear but WILL answer.
The answer will come quickly enough but not packaged the way you and I could envision. The answer to a prayer of growth usually arrives packaged in trials, tribulations and what some have labeled ‘wilderness’ moments. When everything seems to be falling apart in your once calm world. God is seemingly silent and MIA (missing in action) from our lives. Surely if He was attentive to us, the situation would not be as alarming or trying as it is!
As a good good Father, everything He does is not only excellent, but also perfect. He is perfect and everything therein is perfect. The spiritual growth we desire is surely His will and He grants it perfectly to all those who desire , ask and are willing to receive it His way.
We have heard the epic story of the children of Israel from Egypt and the 11 day journey to their promised land of Milk and Honey that turned out into 40 years, with an entire generation wiped out. Infact Moses , their leader also does not make it because He disobeys God’s instruction out of frustration for the very people he was leading. oops spoiler alert for all those who have not read this story. This is such a small summary, make time to read and study it in its entirety.
On the journey of our growth , we are very much like the children of Israel. Before judgement for being so unserious and disobedient after their escape out of Egypt and the great red sea miracle recognise that we are usually not any different in forgetting how faithful God has been in the past when faced with difficult situations. Like them, we complain about where He has , and actually demand that He take us back to Egypt( the very place we cried that he take us out of ). We turn away from God to the idols in our lives for some solace because it is just too hard, God should understand. We become bitter and completely lose the reality that God is using the difficult times to grow our faith and trust in Him. Instead of turning and seeking Him even more, we get angry at Him for bringing us to the uncomfortable places of life and we bang down heaven’s gates in prayer for Him to take us out. We have forgetten our earnest prayer for growth in relationship with Him.
However, if we changed our perspective of the wilderness moments, the trials and tribulations and realise that they are orchestated for our own good, then the entire experience changes. We can rejoice like the disciple James exhorts us to do James l:2-3 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete needing nothing. (NLT)
It takes maturity to actually rejoice in difficult moments , when nothing physically makes sense, yet spiritually these are very crucial moments that position us to grow in the Lord. We can draw strength not to give up and tire as God stretches our faith and grows us as we asked Him to. Jesus Christ also shines a great example we can glean from in Hebrews 12:2-3.. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the JOY awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor besides God’s throne. (NLT)
Trials, tribulations and storms in our lives reveal the fears we habor in our hearts, the lack of trust we have in His word, and consequently we can face the ugly side of our character we dont want to deal with. The wilderness moments are crucial for our spiritual growth and position us to encounter and experience the intimacy with God we desperately need to really enjoy the salvation journey. Shift your perspective to the great things God is growing in you, the amazing character you will have when the season is over and the channel of blessing God will position you to be for others.
If you find yourself in a difficult, wild situation and wondering what God is up to, He is up to something with you. Turn your focus back to Him and trust His perfect work. Be encouraged to worship Him even much more than you ever did.
And we know that God causes everything to work togethr for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. (Romans 8:28 NLT)