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.)