In biblical symbolism, the “wilderness” is picture as a “place before the entering into the Promised Land”. The wilderness is a place where God bring His people to prepare them for the Promised Land. He prepared them through miracles, protection and provision water and food. It is at the wilderness that He “meet with His people” through the tabernacle. The wilderness is a place where there are oppositions and terrors. A place where God carefully nurture and prepare His people.
The late Rev. Billy Graham was quoted as saying:
“Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys.”
Rev. Billy Graham’s quote reminds us that having “mountaintop experience” may be good for “view and inspiration”, but it is in the “valleys of life” where the “fruits of our character and our relationship with Him” are grown.
God promised us through His word that we will survive the “valleys” because He is with us. And, if we stay close to him, we will produce much fruit – the kind that will last. In Hosea 13:5, He told the Israelites “I cared for you in the wilderness, in the land of drought.” (NASB) or as Eugene Peterson paraphrased it in the Message:
“I’m the one and only God who delivers. I took care of you during the wilderness hard times, those years when you had nothing. I took care of you, took care of all your needs, gave you everything you needed.”
God demonstrated His care through His provision for the nation while they were traveling for forty years in the hot and dry desert of Sinai. God led them with the pillar of fire and the cloud, he daily gave them manna as food to eat and quail for meat, and he miraculously provided water again and again.
Wilderness experience are unpleasant and rather painful but He promised that His grace is sufficient for us. We can confidently yield ourselves to Him and trust Him as our loving caring Saviour. As one of my favorite hymn goes:
All the way my Saviour leads me
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercies?
Who through life has been my guide
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort
Here by faith in Him to dwell
For I know whate’er befall me
Jesus doeth all things well
For I know whate’er befall me
Jesus doeth all things well
Deacon Wayne Teo
