A Message in the Wilderness

By Eric Hutchinson, Fellowship Bible Church Celebrate Recovery T.E.A.M Men's Training Coach,  05/22/2019

Recently, my business had a long dry period which yielded very little income for me and my family.  I’m in sales, so dry periods are just a part of my business.  However, a three month dry period in sales is VERY unusual and almost unheard of for an experienced salesperson.  Thoughts of career change and even bankruptcy began to enter my mind. On top of this I have been struggling with how to parent my 18 year old teenager well. Needless to say, I was feeling the stress and pressure lately, and it just felt like I was traveling through a low valley in my life.  In the Old Testament you may remember hearing the word “wilderness” a lot.  The Israelites went through 40 years in the wilderness, Moses saw the burning bush in the wilderness, and Elijah ran out of fear into the wilderness. In Hebrew, the wilderness is called the midbar.  Midbar comes from the root word davar, and davar means to speak.  God brought Moses into the midbar to speak to him through a burning bush.  God brought Elijah into the midbar to speak to him in a still small voice.  So too, God brings me into the wilderness to speak to me.  The first 3 months of this year was a tough time for me, the wilderness.  I had conversations with my father and my son that I would not have had if I had not gone through this “midbar.”  It is difficult to go through tough times, but maybe add “it’s in the tough times that I should look and listen to hear the voice of God.  Maybe, he is desiring to speak to me and communicate something I need to hear.  God told Moses that he was on Holy ground and Elijah experienced God in a unique and powerful way while residing in the wilderness.  How about you?  Have you ever experienced the “midbar” in your life?  Maybe you are walking through the wilderness right now.  God is with you my friend, and the wilderness in your life is not just a wilderness.  It is holy ground… the midbar… the place of His voice.  I hope this devo finds you in a good place but if not, take time to listen for the voice of God.  I love you all, have a blessed week!

“Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day… There he came to a cave, where he spent the night… But then the Lord said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah?... God said, go out and stand before me on the mountain… a mighty windstorm hit the mountain.  It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind.  After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake`, and after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper… And the voice said, What are you doing here, Elijah?”  1 Kings 19:4-13

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