April 18, 2012
Desert Times Blog/Podcast
Listen to Desert Times Podcast
Being “on the backside of the desert” is not a self-inflicted inconvenience or a detour because of our spiritual slackness. It is one of God’s major destinations for those He wants to take deeper.
He is deliberate in leading us into the desert of hard places to speak tenderly to us and to make our trouble a gateway of hope. God has purposes and blessings for us in the desert and afterward. From there, we will know Him as Lord more deeply. He wants to sharpen our listening skills to His voice alone. He wants us to know that the only proper response when there is nothing we can control is to trust that He is in control, and He can’t get it wrong. He wants to show us that there are only two places to go: down and out, or right up into His lap. He gets us where we can’t move in our flesh, because He must do everything of eternal significance by His Spirit. In the heat of the desert, He burns up or blows away all the wood, hay, and stubble of our pride, confidence, and striving.