The word in a nutshell (Wilderness)
Transcription
This is Pastor Martin coming to you today with a word in a nutshell, the word in a nutshell. This week, our word is wilderness. Wilderness. Wilderness is a place that is dry. It's a place that has nothing. It's a place that can be rocky, can be stony. It can be even in a valley, a wilderness. Throughout scripture, we see great men of God go through a wilderness era. It was in the wilderness that God called Moses. Even our Lord Jesus Christ went through the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil. You see, the wilderness is a place where nothing is happening, where everything is dry and things don't seem to be going the way you expect. Wilderness can also mean a place of trial, a place of challenge, a place of tribulation, a place of discomfort. But in the midst of a wilderness, we can hear God clearer than ever. Because in the wilderness, if we focus our hearts and our minds on God, we can hear what He is saying to us. We can learn the lessons that we need in the wilderness. And those lessons become stepping stones out of the wilderness. Wilderness can be a season in your life where things are dry. Ezekiel went to the valley of the dry bones. Everything was dry. In fact, the Bible said they were very dry. Sometimes we go through a season of being in the valley where things are not going the way you expect them to go, where everything seems to be working against you, where the contrary winds blow to keep you from going the direction you need to go. But hear me, in the wilderness, we seem to pay more attention to what God is saying and what God is directing us to. What wilderness are you in right now? The Bible tells us, Be still and know that I am God. Sometimes the wilderness provides clarity for your vision, provides clarity for your perspectives and what you value and what is important. I don't know what wilderness you may be going through this Lent season, but it is also a time to draw close to God. Wilderness forces us to draw closer to God, and when we do, we hear His direction. We hear what He is saying. His voice is clearer and we can move forward and do the things that he is calling us to do. Are you in a wilderness today? You can come out of it by speaking to your situation just as Ezekiel spoke to the dry.