The Wilderness …

The wilderness of this world. Have you ever thought about that? The wilderness of this world. In old English, the word (wildēornes) means land inhabited only by wild animals. Have you ever thought about that?

I could see the world right now while I was thinking about that term. Wild animals are fully self-sufficient. They find a home in a location that fits their needs. They live in an environment that provides them with the food and space that their species needs. They disguise themselves to blend in with any area they find themselves in, allowing them to avoid predators and stay healthy during harsh weather. Animals who only consume plants are eaten by meat-eating animals. They all go to rivers and ponds to get the water they need to survive. Habitat degradation, climate change, illegal trafficking, pollution, climate change, and other factors are putting them all at risk. Have you given it any thought?

For the time being, we depend on people to survive. Farmers, water treatment facilities, physicians, nurses, grocery stores, building crews, general contractors, security firms, air conditioning and heating companies, airlines, lodging facilities, hotels, entertainment industries, power companies, and so much more are all essential for our survival. This can be considered self-sufficient in the sense that people depend on one another. We settle in places that fulfill our needs for culture, low taxes, proximity to work, comfort, and proximity to family and friends, among other things. We make adjustments to fit in at work, in the church group where we serve, among new friends, and to interact with our neighbors, among other things. We do this to hide from people who might see something we have and go for it, as well as people who might notice that we have nothing. We all see others who think like us as members of our people group, and others as members of another. Many who believe in Christ divide themselves from one another due to differing behavioral values. We don’t allow our faith in Christ to remind us that He died for all and that those who believe in Him are members of His Body. Some of us would not go across the line to join the rest. Some of us tend to associate with other Christians of various kinds. For the sake of the Gospel, some of us communicate with everyone. Some of us would rather be with our own race or ethnicity. Some of us are just interested in our own political party. Some of us would rather be with people our own age. Humans just want to make sure that the teaching of God’s Word is strong around us, but even that divides us because each people group believes that they are right. It’s the middle of nowhere. Have you given it any thought?

Difficulties come in the wilderness. And we’re in it. All of us lean into what we think is right, what we think is needed and we cast others to the side. We judge, with hate, those who do not walk down the same political path and we seek to destroy them. We have no care in our hearts for those who don’t look like us …. red and yellow; black and white … many of us see no need for us to be together. We condemn those who have differing behavioral beliefs within the Body of Christ …. women wear dresses, men rule, what the filling of the Holy Spirit looks like, ordination of women, liturgies only, sacraments observed … and SO much more. The bottom line is this … Our Dependence is Upon The God of ALL the Earth!!

All that we need comes from Him. He created every single one of us. He loves every single one of us. He sent His son, Jesus, to die for every single one of us. In the distress we are brining to on another for the sake of our own glory, the only way that we will see His hand at work is if we truly understand that as believers in Christ, we are one Body! We are not all hands. We are not all legs. We are not all eyes. We are not all feet. We are not all arms. We are a complete BODY!

Let’s do better y’all! I want to see His glory, not yours? I want to see His hand at work, not yours. I want to see His kindness, more than our kindness. I want to see His hand in bringing all things He has called His children to do to victory. Let His work be seen among us, not our own. Let Him rebuild us. Let His face shine upon us – so that our peace will be real. Let’s allow His grace to come in to us. We don’t deserve His help, but He grants it to us when we are doing all for the sake of His glory. All that we are and all that we do has to be for His glory and not for our own. Only then will we see His favor in our lives.

WILDERNESS. Just as he delivered the Jews, He will deliver us if only we can stop trying to meet our needs but, rather, seek to glorify Him.

Praying that our ways and our hearts will change so that the favor of Our Lord can rest upon us. Praying that He will replace all of our current bad days with good days. Praying that we will know how to let Him rule over us and bless us; and that we will cease trying to rule over one another and fill our minds with the lie that we are the ones that bring blessing to one another. He is wonderful!! He is awesome!! He is all powerful!! He is ALWAYS right! Praying that the Body of Christ will yield to all that we need from Him and that we will all be praying every single day that He would hide us behind His cross and fill us afresh with His Holy Spirit!