Are You In a Desert Situation?
A desert situation is a dry place. It’s a season in your life where there is no movement. Everything is the same. It is a barren place. It is a place where there is no water, no food, and limited resources. This is what the Israelites had to walk into when they left Egypt (Exodus 16).
How did they respond? The first thing they did was they grumbled. Grumbling (complaining) to God is permissible when you are trying to be honest and you still have faith. But if you are grumbling to God and there is no faith in him, this is a big issue. The Israelites grumbled because they thought they were going to die. What about you? Do you feel like you are going to die in this dry season?
The second thing they did was they blamed God. They said it would’ve been better for them to die in Egypt. Sometimes we do this too, when we are in a place of dryness we can blame God for the situation that we are in.
So how does God respond to the Israelites' grumbling and blaming attitude? God responds by showing them provision and grace. God said he would provide bread for his people. In fact, the bread, was something that they had never seen before. In our times of dryness God will provide for us and show us grace. We will be able to look back and say God was faithful, he gave us what we needed, and he was there. We will also be able to say he did something that’s never been done before. Created something that never should’ve happened like he did for the Israelites - he gave them manna.
Finally, God was testing the Israelites to build them up spiritually. He wanted to know if they were going to trust him completely. In our own lives God will test and see if we are truly trusting in him, and him alone. God is the source and he gives us resources. But he wants to know if he is the ultimate source in your life. He does not want the resources-the blessings, money, children, house, car, whatever the blessing is to be more important than him. If we can only be happy until “this thing” happens in our life it means we are saying to God that he not enough to meet ALL of our needs. We need to do a self check and see if our motive is pure. Why do we want that “thing”? Why do we have a desire for that “thing” in order to be happy? At the end the day the goal is not to meet what we want, but to be more like Christ.
So remember when you are in a dry place be careful not to grumble and complain. But remember God is showing you grace and provision in this season. This is a test prove to God that he is all you need so that we can be more like Jesus.
