We need reminded, on occasion, that God has brought us ALL the way on our journey. At times we may feel we were traversing the unknown by ourselves. But Deuteronomy implores us, “Remember that the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these 40 years.” (8:2 NIV). In the wilderness wanderings of life, if we are willing to take notice, we will find all the ways the LORD has led us. We encounter many different needs and obstacles along the journey, but God Himself provides for our every need and leads us ALL the way.
Wandering can make us thirsty. The Israelites traveled for three days without finding water. In a hot and dry place, water is a necessity, not only to stay alive, but to thrive. God’s intentions were to bring His people into a land of abundance, but without water, they would never step into this promise. We have the same abundant life offered to us, but we get thirsty during the journey as well. Jesus offers Living Water to rid us of our thirst. We need His Living Water, not only for eternal life, but to thrive here and now.
Wandering around makes us hungry. Hunger can cause grumbling and grumpiness about every little thing. The Israelites experienced this first hand. Often, trying to quickly identify why our mood has gone south is difficult. The wandering distracts and can cause misinterpretation of this discomfort, but just as God remedied the Israelites hunger, He is ready to remedy ours. Notice how readily and abundantly the Lord provided the manna. Every morning when they woke, it was available, enough for each person to be filled. We, too, have life giving manna available to us, the Bread of Life, God’s Word—each day, for each person, readily available. God wants to provide sustenance for our journey, as He did for theirs.
When wandering, we are bound to run into some problems; we will need some help. The first enemy to come against the Israelites was the Amalekites. They came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. This battle has an element of beauty we need to grasp; the victory came through community and teamwork. Joshua was instructed to choose some men to go out and fight…together, but that was not all. Moses, Aaron and Hur went up on top of the hill, overlooking the battle. Moses raised his hands with the staff of God in them. This act was facilitating victory, but Moses grew weary and when his arms began to lower, the Israelites were being overcome. Aaron and Hur step up to help hold Moses’ arms high. Through the community effort and this very visual teamwork, they overcame their enemy together. God provides us help to be victorious if we are willing to unite with those around us with whom He has provided community.
Wandering gets us confused and fearful. We try to determine what we should and shouldn’t do. The Do’s and Don’ts get us all jumbled up. The thirst and hunger, along with our other problems can stress us and break down our good intentions. The Israelites encountered this when God descended on Mt. Sinai and spoke to the people. They didn’t want to hear from God directly for they feared Him but rather wanted Him to share only through Moses. They seemed to have good intentions to obey God and listen to Moses’ directions from Him, but when Moses was delayed returning to them while receiving the Law from God, the people begged for gods to worship—confusion. They had seen the One True God perform great miracles on their behalf. What could an image made by man do for them? God was preparing to offer them guidelines—The Law—to help them know what was good for them and what wasn’t best for them. We, too, need these guidelines to help us function without confusion and fear. We have not only the Law, the Old Testament, but also the teaching of Jesus and His disciples in the New Testament. These words offer great help for the journey by sorting out the what is best and what isn’t, and can also eliminate confusion and overcome fear.
In our wandering, some direction or leading can be beneficial. The word wandering, in and of itself, suggests lack of knowing either ones destination or directions to getting there. The Israelites had no clue where they were going. They needed to be led to reach their destination. In a creative and personal way, God made His leading very evident; presenting Himself by cloud when the sun was up and by fire when it was not. Through this, they were shown where to go and what to follow. Some days I wish He was that visual with me. However, He chose another way for our generation. He gave us the Holy Spirit. Just like the Israelites, we must pay attention to the One leading us. The Spirit’s guiding is just as personal and creative as the cloud and fire and we need leading just as desperately as they did.
Wandering can get us distracted; losing sight of why we are really here. After the Israelites struggled with where to properly place their worship, God gave them instructions to build a tabernacle—a place for Him to come dwell amongst them. The tabernacle provided a place for them to come meet with Him, to honor Him and to worship Him. At the root of it all, He desired relationship with His people, and still does. We were created for worship, to glorify God, especially in a season of wandering.
This journey of life is long and at times very difficult. We will have seasons of wandering. We need to take notice when we are thirsty or hungry, when we have problems or confusion, and when we desperately need some direction. God is here and intends to meet every need. If we will pause, take a moment to honor and worship the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and seek the relationship with Him He so desires with us, we just might begin to see how He has led us All the way too.
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