A WORD WITH YOU
By Ron Hutchcraft
Deuteronomy 8:2-4
We've driven some pretty desolate stretches of the U. S. For a guy who
used to wait 'til the last minute to get gas, those stretches were
life-changing. A couple of bad experiences and you become mister "fill up
at half a tank." But America's desert and wilderness stretches take a back
seat to some of the wilderness of the Middle East; especially some of the
desert traversed by God's ancient people as they went from Egypt to the
Promised Land. Recently, a writer named Bruce Feiler decided to physically
retrace some of the geography of the first five books of the Bible.
Including the still-challenging Sinai wilderness where God's people
wandered for forty years. He spent time with the nomadic Bedouins who make
that wilderness their home. He walked the hot sands and the daunting
mountains of that wilderness. In the process, he found himself on an
unanticipated journey of spiritual discovery. And he learned something
about why God led His children through the desert - and why He still does.
Here's what this author said: "In the desert, there's no such thing as
independence - only dependence."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about
"Treasure in Your Desert."
I think it started when we were little kids with words like these, "I can
do it myself!" And we've been trying to do it ourselves ever since - even
when it comes to totally trusting God. Oh, we believe in Him. We go to His
meetings. We try to live by His commandments, but we want to drive. We're
control freaks, especially when it comes to the things or people that
really matter to us. We can make it happen. We can make it work. We can
think of something. We can fix it.
Then comes the desert; a season in your life when the bottom drops out.
Things and people that you've depended on either aren't there or aren't
enough. It's dry. The heat is intense. You're worn out physically and
emotionally, and there's no road to show you the way to go. Welcome to the
wilderness. But before you give up or give in, remember the desert is part
of the plan. It was for God's ancient people. It was for John the Baptist.
It was for Paul. It was for the Son of God, and it is for you.
Here's what God says about the desert stretches; it's in Deuteronomy
8:2-4, our word for today from the Word of God. He says: "Remember how the
Lord your God led you all the way in the desert ... to humble you and to
test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would
keep His commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding
you with manna, which neither you nor our fathers had known, to teach you
that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from
the mouth of the Lord." God says He leads us into the desert to humble us;
to bring us to a place where the Lord is all we have. Because that's when
we learn that the Lord is all we need. "In the desert, there's no such
thing as independence - only dependence." When you come to your Lord in
total desperation, running on empty, you open yourself up to an experience
of God's power and God's grace you can't get any other way.
And just in case you're not sure you can make it through this desert,
listen to what your Heavenly Father will do for you there: "In the desert
... you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his
son, all the way" (Deuteronomy 1:31). And like any tired little child,
you'll go much farther with your Father carrying you than you could ever
go on your own. The desert may not be pleasant. It may stress you, it may
strip you, but there's treasure you'll only find there. Because you'll
find the treasure that is discovered only when God is all you've got.
Copyright (c) 2007, Ron Hutchcraft.
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"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been
forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."
Matthew 11:12
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