Wilderness Options

[RuthintheDesert]

"Loneliness is a wilderness,
but through receiving it as a gift,
accepting it from the hand of God
and offering it back to Him with thanksgiving,
it may become a pathway to holiness,
to glory and to God Himself."
--Elisabeth Elliot

This quote on a page-a-day calendar spoke to me today, but I think the message is far bigger than the topic of loneliness. Any wilderness, if accepted from the hand of God, can be "a pathway to holiness, to glory and to God Himself."

What is your wilderness today? Sickness? Financial trouble? Stress? Pain? Grief? You may not be ready to see it as a gift, or to offer thanksgiving for it--perhaps you're still struggling towards acceptance.

My prayer today is that we will each look at our own personal wilderness and ask God to make a path through it, bringing us closer to Himself.

[Catherine]

I love your phrase "if accepted from the hand of God." I had one of those aha moments yesterday thinking about things as "from the hand of God". Sometimes I find myself saying "I would like this to happen" or "If only..." Oh what contentment and peace floods the soul when we rest in knowing we are right where the Lord has us and wants us. Where else would we want to be but where He wants us. I guess the difficulty comes with the pain and desperation of certain wilderness experiences. I love how you say it can be a pathway to holiness, to glory, and to God Himself. He gives us strength to endure and brings us close to His heart. Elisabeth Elliot surely knew the wilderness when she lost her husband Jim. And yet she continued on, hand in hand with her Lord, and He led her through that dark time to a new, broad place. May we walk with Jesus even in the wilderness, not grudgingly, but triumphantly!

[RuthintheDesert]

Where else would we want to be but where He wants us.

Amen to this! Last year the Lord took us through a process of thinking we were going to move, not liking the idea, accepting the idea...and then not moving. At first I was really wondering why we had to go through all that if it wasn't going to happen! But through the experience we gained a new contment in our current home. Surrender brings such joy!