Wilderness is defined as a barren or desolate area or a confused mass or collection.
The spiritual meaning for wilderness is intense experiences or stark need for food and water; isolation from danger and divine deliverance; renewal or encounter with God.
When we think of a wilderness experience, we immediately think about the Israelites and their 40 years wandering in the wilderness, eating manna from heaven. But God delivered them.
Are you going through tough times? Do you have discomfort and trials? Are the simple things in your life unenjoyable? Do you lack encouragement? Are you in despair? If so, it appears that you maybe suffering from a “wilderness experience.” A “wilderness experience is often a time of spiritual attacking. It could be a spiritual drought, a financial drought. or emotional drought. Don’t worry, you are not alone, you have company and it’s me.
The “wilderness experience” doesn’t mean that we are sinning. Oh no. It means that we are being tested. It is a time of God’s ordained testing. These tests comes and goes. It’s the passing of the tests that’s important. Sometimes, the struggle is so intense, that it is difficult to make it through the day. We are operating in pure survival mode. The enemy is attacking and have us weighted down on every side. The attack comes at each of us, differently. To some, financially or materially, and then others, physically or emotionally.
Others before us, have had these experiences as well and they survived. There are documented cases in the bible of different wilderness experiences. The Israelits, Prophet Elijah, Job, Paul, and even Jesus have had His “wilderness experience.”
After Jesus’ baptism, the bible said, “at once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan” (Mark 1:1-2). So, there it is, Jesus knows the pain we suffer, during this test taking season. It’s an ordained test, given to us, with His permission.
For those of us that passes the test, there’s a blessing awaiting us. We have to remember to press forward everyday and decide each day to trust Jesus with our lives and with all of those little and big trials, that we go through and with all of the huge valleys of doubt and despair that we encounter on our way through our own kind of wilderness.
Just know and it’s a proven fact, a “wilderness experience” is often linked to a “mountaintop experience”, that is to say, the struggle that we are going through now and in the future, usually is followed by a success of some kind. A BREAKTHROUGH!
After the trail comes the breakthrough. So lift your hands in the air and tell God that you receive your breakthrough. Grab hold of it now!
