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.And believe it or not, God can use the wilder-ness as a place of nurturing.There are three ways God nurtures us in thewilderness:God meets you.The wilderness is not a place where great deeds aredone for God.No, instead it s a place where God meets people.Considerthese two examples: God followed Elijah to the wilderness, fed him, andwhispered to him there.And Jesus himself regularly went to the wildernesswhen he wanted to commune with his Father.Then there were the Israelites, who didn t conquer any cities or buildany temples in the wilderness.They just did laps around Mount Sinai, and180 Patience Day : Waiting on Godas they walked, God went with them.He fed them every morning, gavethem water, guided them with a cloud, protected them at night, and spoketo them.He treated them with loving care as a measure of his affection forthem, even though they usually just took it for granted.Theirs was not alifestyle of achieving something new every day.Rather, the wilderness waswhere their major tasks were on hold and they got to know God in a deeper,more intimate way than ever before.The moral of the story: Relationshipstake time, and the wilderness is a great place to build a relationship withGod.God refreshes you.When you come out of a great crisis or descendfrom a spiritual mountaintop, you can be exhausted.Sometimes, in thoseinstances, God ushers us right into the wilderness in order to give us a break,slow things down, give us space to restore our souls, or get back on our feetagain.His waiting room forces us to stop so he can recharge our spiritualbatteries.But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mountup with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walkand not faint.Isaiah 40:31 NKJVGod grows you.In the wilderness, something is going on that yourarely notice while it s happening, but it s one of the purposes of the wait-ing.God is growing something in you.He is trying to show you that heis more concerned with your character while you wait in the desert than inexpediting the end of the situation.When Israel emerged from the wilder-ness, they were going to have a huge job to do: possess the Promised Land.But as their failed expedition with the spies proved (Numbers 13  14), theirfaith was very, very tiny.So, God took forty years to raise a new generationof Israelites who would trust him enough to step into the rushing JordanRiver and conquer a city of supposed giants by marching around the wallsof Jericho seven times.I think that s why wilderness waiting takes longer than we think itshould.Because God wants to prepare you for what s next after the wilder-ness, he needs to let you stay there long enough to grow your trust in him.It s like when a seed germinates and sprouts below the earth, long beforethere is any evidence of growth above the earth.If God knows you need togrow into an oak tree for your next challenge, he won t move you out of hiswilderness hothouse if you ve only just sprouted a tiny leaf.Oak trees taketime to grow.181 Part : The Making of a Right Relationship to OthersJournalLet s study a few of those who had wilderness experiences.Choose one ortwo (or more if you have time) of the following Bible characters who spenttime in the wilderness, and fill in the blanks:How did God What was theWhat crisis or strengthen outcome of his/victory happened him/her in the her time in thebeforehand? wilderness? wilderness?MosesExodus 2:11  3:12Elijah1 Kings 18:21  19:18HagarGenesis 21:9  21JesusMatthew 3:13  4:17If you are experiencing (or have experienced in the past) a wilderness wait,answer these questions for yourself:What crisis or victory preceded your journey through the wilderness?182 Patience Day : Waiting on GodIn what areas is God strengthening you (or has he strengthened you)through your time in the wilderness?What are you praying will be the final outcome of this experience?PRAYERPrecious Lord,I wasn t sure I would ever say this, but thank you for the wilderness.Iadmit I ve complained, despaired, and even lost faith during my time ofwaiting.But you ve been patient with me.Thank you.Help me to keep wait-ing patiently, knowing that this quiet time is both healing and restorative,a time when you and I can just meet together and be together, without toomany expectations.Thank you that while I wait, you are working in waysI cannot see, leaving me here as long as it takes to grow me into the oak treeI need to be for the next thing you have in store for me.In the name of Jesus, amen.183 Patience DayImpatience:Exposing Your InnerShrekSeek first to understand, then to be understood.Dale Carnegie, 1888  1955, authorA VIRTUAL MESSAGENOTE: It s Day 2, so you have the option of listening to today s message bydownloading it from my website, www [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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