Wilderness
Rarely talked about but inevitable. Some know the season well. Some have yet to experience it, but the season awaits.
The wilderness. A lonely place full of fear, seemingly no direction to safety. Nothing makes sense. You look for stability, a safety net, an anchor, but the world offers no peace. The wilderness causes pain, anxiety, and overwhelming thoughts. And, the wilderness comes swiftly.
You will not see the wilderness coming. If you did, you would change course. But, as you journey through life, you are blind to the upcoming darkness.
Paul certainly knew the wilderness. In his own words,
Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with a rod. Once I received a stoning. Three times I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I spent adrift in the open sea. I have been on journeys many times, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from my own countrymen, in dangers from Gentiles, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers at sea, in dangers from false brothers, in hard work and toil, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, many times without food, in cold and without enough clothing. 2 Corinthians 11:24-27
Wisdom comes with age. By the time Paul wrote the above, he had been a follower of Jesus for over ten years. He could look back at the journey of life and see the storms, the seasons of wilderness. They were inevitable, and, for Paul, they were expected. Jesus had told him how much he would have to suffer in Acts 9.
But, Paul also knew another truth, found in Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus had promised his followers that he would always be with them.
This truth allowed Paul to walk through the wilderness, to face upcoming storms, with a surety that he had a “steadfast anchor.”
As Paul is done with his last missionary journey, he is headed back to Jerusalem. On the journey back, he faces two warnings, prophecies about what would happen to him there.
After we located the disciples, we stayed there seven days. They repeatedly told Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. Acts 21:4
He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it, and said, “The Holy Spirit says this: ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” Acts 21:11
Later in chapter 21, the Bible says that “the local people begged him not to go up to Jerusalem.”
The Holy Spirit told the prophets what awaited Paul but never told him not to go to Jerusalem. Paul knew what was coming, and forward he went, steadfast on his journey.
How did he find the strength, the fortitude to keep going?
Paul knew God was with him, always. God had always shown up for Paul, and he knew that He always would. For example, when Paul was in Corinth.
The Lord said to Paul by a vision in the night, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent, because I am with you, and no one will assault you to harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. Acts 18:9-11
So, when Paul finds himself in hot water after showing up in Jerusalem, God makes Himself known.
The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Have courage, for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” Acts 23:11
“The Lord stood near.” What a comforting truth to carry through life.
The promise that Jesus is with us is as true today as it was during the time of Paul. The way to grasp this reality is to read His Word daily. This daily intake of Scripture builds the foundation to weather the upcoming storm. This daily intake of Scripture cements the truth in your heart that He is with you, in the joy-filled seasons and the seasons that require perseverance.
He is with us. A simple, powerful truth that sustains during the wilderness.
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