The Wilderness

   The song says, "Beautiful mercy, do what you have to do. He's brought me to this wilderness where I will learn to sing, and He lets me know my barreness so I will learn to lean." I consider that a great thing. Many times we think that we're in the wilderness because God hates us or He's punishing us for something we've done, but have you thought that He might have you in the wilderness so that He can teach you how to be strong? Strength isn't something that we just receive. God doesn't simply wave His hand and say, "Be strong!" God teaches us through experience how to be strong. Next time you pray for strength, realize that God is going to give you an obstacle and He's going to challenge you to be strong. That is how you receive your strength. And don't worry, He won't give you a load that's too heavy for you to bear. More importantly, He won't give you a load that He didn't bear.

   God puts us in the wilderness so that we can develop a closer relationship with Him. When you're in the wilderness, most people cannot help you and others won't even try to. The wilderness stage is the period of time when a person has to learn how to rely fully on God. They realize that no one else but God can help them and they turn to Him because He cares and He answers prayer. The wilderness is where we really learn to pray.

   Most of us have learned how to say a prayer from childhood. But it's not until you go through your first wilderness, you really learn to pray. You learn to appreciate God for what He's given you. You appreciate that you don't deserve anything you have and it's only "beautiful mercy" that is keeping you on your feet. You learn to open your mouth and thank God from the bottom of your heart and soul, rather than saying vain words.

   The wilderness, for most, is a time of distress. You learn to cry out to God and ask Him for help.

   After the wilderness, you find that your faith has increased because you prayed desperately unto the Lord and He answered you. He delivered you from all your trouble. The next time you're in a wilderness, you don't panic as much because you know within you that the same God who has brought you out before is able and willing to bring you out again.
  
   The wilderness is not so bad after all. It teaches you to trust, to hope, to have faith, to pray, and most of all it gives you relationship with a God who loves you tremendously.