Dear Ones,
Happy weekend to you as you most likely are doing some preparations for Christmas! This morning Ann is coming for a visit and later, Al and I are going out for lunch with two couples that have been long time friends.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I think we have all had times when we feel like we are in the wilderness, as we feel dry and distant from the Lord. We wonder what happened to those warm feelings we use to have as we read the Word, and it seemed to just speak to us in a glowing way. But probably all of us are at some time will have a wilderness experience and I read what Sara Whitten, an author and youth pastor, wrote about it. She said the wilderness may be uncomfortable territory for seems unfamiliar and uncertain and we don’t know what God is doing. But it can work on us and for us or work against us, depending how we respond. The Wilderness may be thought of as unsettled land that is not cultivated or fruitful yet, but it has potential to one day be fruitful, depending on how we respond.

During wilderness times, the Lord may be trying to get our attention and bring us to a deeper level of relationship with Him. So how we respond is important and we need to listen and to obey. Of course, we have only to look back at the children of Israel who were in the wilderness for 40 years as they were being readied to go into the Promise Land. Wow! I don’t have that many years left! It says in Deut. 8:2, that “He did this in order to humble you and test you. He wanted to know whether or not you would wholeheartedly obey His commands.” It is important for all of us to be open as to how the Lord would teach us and test us and be responsive to how He wants to accomplish this. We may be tempted to compromise, quit or take shortcuts but then we will miss letting the wilderness work what the Lord wants to do in us.

To make the most of this Wilderness time, we need time to be alone with the Lord, be in the Word and ask Him to speak to us as we keep our eyes on Him. What is He trying to remind us of to help us stand against the enemy?  May we be willing and open that the Lord can awaken us and plant deep truths in us, helping us to rely solely on Him as He guides us through this time. If we do, we will find that He will transform our wilderness into a beautiful fruitful place.

Challenge for today: Submit to God’s plan for wherever He has you right now, and whether it be in the wilderness or the mountain top, be teachable!
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy