A Welcomed Wilderness Experience

Spiritually Dry? Barren? Uncertain? Lonely?...

When Christians use the term "wilderness" to describe their spiritual state, what do you envision? A spiritual wilderness experience seems to imply an unpleasant time for the testing of one's faith. Let's be honest, no one really desires to go to a spiritual wilderness but if the truth be told, we have a Good Shepherd and He knows best how and where to lead our hearts. If He brings us to the wilderness, we can trust that it is for our good and in the end, we will be better for it (and hopefully grateful)... cue the perfect song, "Beautiful Mercy", in which Laura Hackett explores the Hosea 2:14-16 wilderness:

                        

 However, in the future I will allure her;

I will lead her back into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.

From there I will give back her vineyards to her,

and turn the “Valley of Trouble” into an “Opportunity for Hope.”

There she will sing as she did when she was young,

when she came up from the land of Egypt.

“At that time,” declares the Lord, “you will call, ‘My husband’;

you will never again call me, ‘My master.’

Hosea 2:14-16 (NET)

This past weekend I was blessed with a different kind of wilderness experience; one that was deeply refreshing for my spirit. I willingly went to this wilderness seeking a quiet place to have a long conversation with Jesus, the Good Shepherd. I drove two hours from my home to The Wilderness Fellowship where I had reserved a little log prayer cabin in the woods for the weekend. Technology free, alone, still, quiet... just Jesus, His Word, the woods, and a few lakes... the ideal setting for me to focus on listening to God. To my readers in Minnesota: I highly recommend these cabins if you feel the need for a time set apart to encounter Jesus!

Here's a portion of what I wrote in the cabin's guest journal:

I was so in need of a simple, quiet, anointed place to allow the Lord to help still my heart and mind so I could hear from Him. I came seeking... to hear His voice; to give Him time to speak to my heart as a Shepherd. He did hear my cry and responded by speaking, comforting, and strengthening me.

This was my first visit to The Wilderness, but I am certain that it will not be my last. Now that I've experienced that I hear Jesus more clearly in this stillness it will be hard to stay away!

Returning to the Twin Cities today on Resurrection Sunday, my heart feels revived and ready for the next leg of the journey with Jesus... a little foretaste of the coming Resurrection!

If you're not yet convinced to reserve your own time at The Wilderness, perhaps my dear friend Angela's blog post on her own experience will help. (You'll notice I borrowed her pictures with permission as I forgot to bring my camera along.)

Resurrection Day Repost

It's Good Friday and I'm headed off to a little prayer cabin in the woods for the next few days. I'm planning to quiet myself and spend most of the time letting Jesus do the talking... maybe I'll return on Resurrection Sunday with some fresh perspective?

This Sunday millions around the world will remember together the day Jesus conquered death and gave us hope for the Day when all death will be overturned. As I head out, I want to reflect again on the wonder of this very special day that is approaching. So, I'm reposting my Easter Sunday entry from last year - this truth never gets old and bears frequent repeating!

It's Easter morning and I suppose it shouldn't surprise you that I've got the resurrection on my mind. Truth be told, this morning I've been thinking that Easter has just recently become my favorite holiday (and that has nothing to do with chocolate!). I've always believed that Jesus Christ really did rise from the dead, but it's only recently that I have been wrestling through what the Bible says about the earth also being "raised" or restored to original perfection under the leadership of Jesus after His Second Coming... and that has changed a lot in my mind!

If you are like me, you may have often pictured heaven with lots of clouds, streets of gold, perpetual singing... but not really tangible... and honestly, a little boring when you think about being there for millions upon millions of years. But, consider the thought of heaven and earth becoming one and actually being able to work in and enjoy creation as it was always meant to be known, in a body that will never die. I'm not sure about you, but to me, that sounds like something to look forward to! I've recently reflected on much of this more fully in other blog posts, so dig deeper there and into the Word itself if you're raising that "she sounds nuts" eyebrow that I would have raised if I had read this a few years ago.

This Resurrection Sunday I want to leave you with a few Bible passages that ought to fill your heart with joy and hope and blow your mind if you take some time to ponder the implications:

1 John 3:2 - Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

Philippians 3:20,21 - But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body...

1 Corinthians 15:52 - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.