There comes a time in your faith journey where you end up in the wilderness season. Life seems to grind to a halt, you have more questions than answers, and it feels like God’s nowhere to be found.
At this point, you’ve probably recognized the signs of the wilderness and are certain that’s exactly where you are. And it’s comforting just to know that the wilderness is not an accident or one-off experience just for you. Still it leaves you with a gnawing question…
Now what?
What can you do while you’re in the wilderness? What’s helpful and what’s not? Though God’s in charge of the timeline, it doesn’t mean we should twiddle our thumbs or feel hopeless in the wilderness.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isa 43:18-19
The wilderness is a place where God prepares you, and you actually have an opportunity to participate in the process. This often involves letting go of old ways of seeing and doing to make room for a new path.
Everybody's time in the wilderness can look a little different because God has unique purposes for all of us in this season. Regardless of what your wilderness experience is like, God’s inviting you into something new.
Here are a few invitations from God for you in the wilderness:
Explore new ways of connecting with Jesus.
One of the clearest signs that you’re entering the wilderness is a sense of spiritual dryness. The faith practices you used to rely on aren’t “working” anymore. When that happens, it’s not the time to double down or try harder. Instead, it’s a gentle nudge from God to be open to new ways of connecting with him.
When I entered the wilderness, my prayer life was really dried up. I came to realize that I may need to switch things up in order to experience more of God’s presence. For me, this included making more space to listen, exploring prophetic gifts, and engaging with my imagination through prayer.
At first it felt super awkward to explore these new practices, but as I stuck with them, I was surprised to encounter even more of the fruits of the Spirit than ever before.
Embrace the slow season to rest and heal.
In the wilderness, it can often feel like everything in life stands still or gets stripped back. This can feel really uncomfortable and even wrong in a culture that values productivity and achievement. Even though it doesn't seem ok, this slow season is actually a huge blessing. When life is slower, you have the time and capacity to unpack things that you may have not realized you've been carrying for a long time.
For me, healing looked like letting go of some hurts from my past, forgiving others and myself, and working through limiting beliefs. I know this isn’t the most enjoyable process, but if you’re willing to surrender to Jesus he’ll offer unimaginable freedom on the other side.
During this season I also learned to incorporate margins of rest into everyday life. I started consistently practicing Sabbath, taking walks around my neighborhood, and carving out time to enjoy silence and solitude. It’s amazing how the wilderness helps you break out of unhealthy patterns so you can replace them with life-giving ones.
Allow Jesus to reintroduce himself to you.
God draws you into the wilderness to grow closer to you so you can form a stronger bond of trust with him. But it’s hard to trust someone without getting to know who he really is.
No matter how long you’ve been following Jesus, there’s probably a few skewed ideas of his character lingering in your heart. We live in a fallen world with imperfect relationships, so it’s natural that we carry our pains and defenses into our relationship with Jesus. The wilderness is an opportunity to recognize how your past impacts your view of Jesus, so you can allow him to reveal himself afresh to you.
I found it helpful to read through the Gospels during the wilderness season. My view of Jesus started shift as I discovered new things about him I never knew before. It became clear that somewhere along the way, I’d created my own perception of Jesus that reflected more of my hurts or others’ ideas than what the Bible really says.
God’s inviting you to new levels of freedom and friendship here in the wilderness. Hidden within the confusion and challenges are chances to experience so much more of his loving presence. The wilderness may upend everything in your life, but it can also bring blessings you never expected.
If you're looking for a way to process your wilderness season experience, I created some free journal prompts to help you find clarity. Click here to download.
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash.
