Have you ever traveled to a desert? Several years ago my wife and I went to the southwest United States. We were excited to go there because we had never been out West. Wow, what an experience. Vast vistas of nothing but rocky hills and mountains, dry air, low growing shrubs, and not much plant life. We drove through Santa Fe, Sedona, Phoenix as well as through the famous Painted Desert in Arizona. The desert is a good metaphor for our spiritual life.
Have you ever been through a spiritual desert before? It's not fun.
Have you experienced the death of a loved one? Suffered a debilitating disease? Hard time finding a job or worried about the health of your newborn child? Going through a divorce?
These are just few of the many spiritual deserts that we go through in life. Believe me, its not fun either. We feel alone, isolated, unsure of where we are going.
Yet the Lord promises that He is with us. He is there in our pain. He is there in our suffering. He is there in our darkest and hardest moments.
He leads us to the quiet waters of rest, to the Promised Land.
We can't do it by ourselves either. We think we can but we can't.
When we were driving through Sedona there was nothing for miles and miles just wide open roads. I wandered, what happens if you get lost out here? What happens if you car breaks down? There was no food, shelter, or gas for miles.
People are encouraged never to travel alone in the desert for that very reason, it is rough and tough. You need a travel mate, someone to be with you and guide you to your destination.
Jesus promised his disciples and us that He will lead us out of our spiritual deserts and find the quiet and rest that we seek.
