You guys! I found what I have been looking for! And of course, I need to tell you about it.
A week or so ago while falling asleep, I had this awesome God-epiphany and instead of writing it down, I told myself I’d remember it when I woke up. Did I? Of course not…
Well, I had the general idea in my head, but there was one point, the MAIN point, in particular that I couldn’t remember.
So… I let it go. I figured if it was God-inspired, it would eventually come back to me. Well, at least I hoped. The thought was soooo good and I knew would encourage at least a few people… Unfortunately I kind of forgot about it, until today.
~~~
I decided to go to a friend’s coffee shop after I worked and after wasting time on my phone for an hour, I decided to finally whip out my Bible for some much-needed Jesus time. I opened it randomly to Nehemiah and as I was about to turn the page to pick a different part of the Bible to read, a verse caught my attention. For some reason in that moment I just knew I was supposed to find something in Nehemiah that was going to speak to me. Some verses I read after that were FIRE and totally did… and then I found it.
A passage.
The passage.
The passage that perfectly explains everything I thought of that night a few weeks ago. This passage may be long, but that last verse though… that’s the main point I want to park on.
Nehemiah 9:6-21 AMPC
“[And Ezra said], You are the Lord, You alone; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and You preserve them all, and the hosts of heaven worship You.
You are the Lord, the God Who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees and gave him the name Abraham.
You found his heart faithful before You, and You made the covenant with him to give his descendants the land of the Canaanite, Hittite, Amorite, Perizzite, Jebusite, and Girgashite. And You have fulfilled Your promise, for You are just and righteous.
You saw our fathers’ affliction in Egypt, and You heard their cry at the Red Sea.
You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for You knew that they dealt insolently against the Israelites. And You got for Yourself a name, as it is today.
You divided the sea before them, so that they went through its midst on dry land; their persecutors You threw into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters.
Moreover, by a pillar of cloud You led them by day, and by a pillar of fire by night to light the way they should go.
You came down also upon Mount Sinai and spoke with them from Heaven and gave them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments.
And You made known to them Your holy Sabbath and gave them commandments, statutes, and a law through Moses Your servant.
You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst; and You told them to go in and possess the land You had sworn to give them. [John 6:31-34.]
But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their necks, and did not heed Your commandments.
They refused to obey, nor were they mindful of Your wonders and miracles which You did among them; but they stiffened their necks and in their rebellion appointed a captain, that they might return to their bondage [in Egypt]. But You are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great steadfast love; and You did not forsake them.
Even when they had made for themselves a molten calf and said, This is your god, who brought you out of Egypt, and had committed great and contemptible blasphemies,
You in Your great mercy forsook them not in the wilderness; the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day to lead them in the way, nor the pillar of fire by night to light the way they should go.
You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and withheld not Your manna from them, and gave water for their thirst.
Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell.”
Did you catch it??
Did you see?
Did you see that last verse, the one that sums up perfectly what I couldn’t remember?
God is so good!
Whatever wilderness you find or have found yourself in GOD IS IN THE MIDST OF IT!
He will SUSTAIN you – no matter the reason why you are in one.
Your wilderness could look like so many different things. It could be a season of waiting (i.e. future spouse, a calling over your life, a career to take off). It could be a season of dryness, literally and figuratively (i.e. drought or writers block). It could be years and years of it appearing as if you’re doing life on your own – that you are the only one keeping everything afloat, even if it’s just barely. It could also be a never-ending spiral of depression and anxiety because of the lack of true Peace in your life.
Whatever the case.
Whatever your wilderness may look like, I want to encourage you with this:
God is there.
He is faithful.
He is not distant – He is a God who walks the wilderness with you: pillar by day and fire by night. He leads the way. It’s your choice to follow Him or not.
He will provide, always – He will give you sustenance when you feel like you can’t take another step: food AND water (God’s Word and living water through Jesus). It’s your choice whether or not to partake of it.
He is a God of mercy and grace… no matter how many times you may stumble, fall, or continue to mess up in your wilderness, He will always continue to take care of you.
AND… one more point: He will always work through your life in the wilderness. His power was always shown while the Israelites wandered, just like His power can be seen working through your life – whether you can see it or not.
Anyway, I’m not sure what you’re going through, but if you find yourself in the midst of a wilderness, know that God is there with you, NO MATTER WHAT.
God bless you!
Woman of Purity.
Woman of Purity 