Detour Ahead

I am going to share another treasure of truth that I found in Beyond Ordinary. In Exodus 14:10-12 the Israelites, in other words said, "We would prefer the absence of conflict, working as slaves in Egypt, to intimacy with God in the uncertainty of the wilderness." It is often no different with us. We will always be tempted to settle for the ordinary in "Egypt" rather than walking with God through the wilderness to extraordinary. God's greatest purpose for the people of Israel and us is not the destination but who we are becoming. God was willing to allow a nineteen-day journey from Egypt to Canaan to take forty years, not because He is bad with directions but because He is great with character development. God's wilderness detour was intended to refine the Israelites and to teach them about who He is. The Israelites needed to learn to love and trust God through the his provision in the wilderness so that they wouldn't forget Him in the Promised Land. In fact, God tells them that when they are fully provided for is the "time to be careful." Deuteronomy 8:11-18

Now this is no new revelation to me. I remember God laying this truth on my heart many years ago that it is up to me how long I spend in the wilderness. Based on the pruning and refining I let Him do it can take as long as needed and if I am resistant it will only take longer. One of the areas I am resistant in is financial security. I long for the day I can say I am financially secure, that is a Promised Land of sorts for me. I am not saying I want to be wealthy, I just desire to have enough to cover all the bills and enough in the bank to get through a disaster. But when I read Deuteronomy 8:11-18 it makes me realize that He delays full provision for our benefit so that we will be humble and realize He is the source of all we have. I will have to remind myself of this often because it is so easy for me to stumble back into stressing about finances.

There are numerous areas of my life that God in His wisdom keeps me in the wilderness to refine me. He wants me to recognize Him as the source for all things. Jesus in John 15:5(NIV) says“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." Jesus is the vine and God the Father is the gardener that does the pruning. I can't produce the fruits of patience or love or kindness just by mustering up enough willpower. I desire to have more of those things but desire is not enough. Sometimes I know I just wish He would give a greater measure of the character traits I want or need but He chooses to use pruning to grow those fruits in our lives. He uses difficult situations and people to grow these fruits in us. It is when we get to end of our stores of these things that we realize we need Him to fill us with another measure so we can extend love, patience, etc. into the situation or to others in our lives.  The purpose of the fruit is to bring glory to God and to show yourself as a disciple of Christ.

Now I know it may seem like I jumped track from Exodus and Deuteronomy in the Old Testament to John in the New Testament but it goes to show that God's character and purpose does not change. He is the same God He was with the Israelites that He is with us and always will be. His desire for people is always character development with the end being to become more like Him, resembling the image He created us in and restoring it from the one that has been marred by sin. While the Israelites were in a literal wilderness we are all in a figurative one that He uses to shape our character through refinement and to grow fruit in our lives through pruning.

Verse 1:
This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is a God who provides

Verse 2:
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

The Desert Song-Hillsong