By Bruce Green
We’ve been living in the wilderness for about a week and a half. The wilderness can be a place of temptation. Its challenging realities can push us to bitterness and complaining. We can dwell on what we don’t have, curse the scarcity of the things that bring us comfort and develop severe cases of ingratitude (Israel).
But it doesn’t have to be that way. The wilderness can also be a place where our faith is refined and our focus on ministry is sharpened (Jesus). The difference, of course, is in how we choose to see (and respond) to our circumstances.
As Israel trekked through the wilderness, God made His presence known in all sorts of ways: the cloud, manna, quail, water, imperishable clothing, etc. If you wanted or needed proof that God was with you, it wasn’t hard to find. What was more difficult to find was trust in His purposes for them.
We are most definitely in a time of walking by faith rather than sight. It started when this invisible virus came on the scene and many people acted as if it didn’t exist. It continues now as new circumstances unfold each day. We are traveling through a part of the wilderness where our vision is obscured by the mountains around us—we don’t have a clear view of what is on the other side or even when we will be past the mountains.
But that’s okay, because some of the best work by God’s people has been done under such circumstances. Abraham and Sarah took off for who knows where. Noah built an ark because God warned him “about things not yet seen.” And a host of other people did a host of remarkable things by trusting in God and His purposes.
That’s our family and that’s our heritage. Let’s live like it today and every day!
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)
You can find more of Bruce’s writings at his website: atasteofgracewithbrucegreen.com.