In the Wilderness Part 1

"So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water." -Exodus 15:22 (KJV)


The Children of Israel had just been delivered from the bondage of Egypt by God, who used Moses to free them. They also witnessed the power of God when He split the Red Sea in half and they walked on dry ground and watched the Pharaoh's Army drown. Now, Moses had lead them into the wilderness, where they found no water for 3 days. However, this text is an encouragement to the people of God who are going through. There are 3 points that will be made 1) What the wilderness represents 2) Why they were in the wilderness and 3) What was their attitude in the wilderness

Before we go any further, we must understand what the word "wilderness" means and no, it is different from the desert. According to Webster, a wilderness is "an uncultivated or uninhabited area" What does this mean? The wilderness is a place of isolation. (Look at picture above). Yeah, doesn't look too promising. However, there is a benefit to the wilderness. The Children of Israel had JUST WITNESSED God's Power at the Red Sea, and now were in a place of isolation.
In our walk with Christ, God will bring us to a place of isolation also known as "the wilderness". However, this place of isolation is a training ground for our calling. Both John (Luke 1:80) and Jesus (Matthew 4:1) were in the wilderness before their public ministry. God brings us into the wilderness to train us and to isolate us from distractions.

Now, many people have probably wondered "Why would they follow Moses into the wilderness?" Easy, God had demonstrated that He was with Moses and that Moses was their chosen leader. Many times in life, GOD not the devil or man leads us into the wilderness. Notice how the scripture says "went out into the wilderness..." to help you better understand this, the word "out" means "Beyond the limit of existence, continuance, or supply; completely" So in other words, God had lead them into COMPLETE seclusion where all they had was Moses, and themselves. When God brings us into our wilderness, He is bringing us to a place of complete seclusion. There are no distractions, and our only Source is God. God will not allow STRANGERS to lead you into the wilderness (The Holy Spirit lead Jesus, Moses lead Israel), but will use someone that you know. Now, to be clear I'm not talking about a physical wilderness, but spiritual wilderness. He may use your husband, family, friend, boyfriend, etc to bring you to a point of seclusion. However, He will do it AFTER you witness His Power. Right after the Red Sea closed back up, Moses lead them into the wilderness so they had just witnessed His Power.

Now, what was their attitude in the wilderness? Read what the last part of scripture says "and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water." Israel was looking for water in the wilderness (which is normal). However, they found NO WATER. This is important because they did not find something that was SUPPOSED to be there. When God brings us into our "wilderness", the first thing we want is a way out. For example, if your phone gets caught off, the FIRST thing you'll do is try to find money to pay it. Why? because you're supposed to pay your bill. Israel was thirsty and wanted a way out of the wilderness and they needed water but couldn't find it. This affected their attitude because they thought since God had delivered them from the hand of Egypt that surely He would provide water, so they became discouraged. Isn't that like us? We witness God bringing us out of one bondage (Egypt), and when He brings us into the wilderness, we expect God to do it again and when He doesn't come when we want Him, we get discouraged. The word "found" means "discovered" so that implies that they were SEARCHING for water. What does this mean? While your in the wilderness, your searching for a way out but haven't discovered one yet. In verse 23, Israel finds water but it is bitter so they cannot drink it. In the wilderness, when you find water or a way out, it is bitter. why? Bitter water will make you sick and possibly kill you. Sometimes we think that our way out of our wilderness is the perfect solution but in reality it will only make our situation worse or "kill" us, whether its our faith in God, our future, etc. The worst thing you can do is allow "bitter water" to discourage you from believing that God won't come through for you.

The wilderness is the place of isolation where most Christians dread because we fear that it is punishment from God. I am currently in my wilderness and God lead me into it right after my graduation, which was when I first saw God's Power work in my life (and I was unsaved). Although its been a rough 3 year journey, I am realizing the purpose of the wilderness and why we should not avoid it but embrace it. God will never bring you into the wilderness to kill you. Whatever your wilderness is, don't be afraid because God is still there. Don't try to find your own "water" because it may be bitter, just relax and know that God is a Provider. It's easy to allow the "wilderness mentality" to enter our minds but we must understand that the wilderness is the entrance to the Promised Land. God Bless