The Allure of the Wilderness – Not What It Seems

The reality that I am here in my wilderness season for an extended period of time is inescapable.  It is a fact.  I will not be leaving until God leads me out.  So it struck me that it might be a good idea to study just exactly what this word, lifted from Hosea 2:14, really means.

Looking to glean any bit of insight, wisdom (or a faster way out!) I started with an on-line search. Using Strong’s Bible Concordance I typed in word “wilderness” and was fascinated by what I found.

Though there were several Hebrew words translated as wilderness, the one identified in Hosea 2:14 is H4057 (H as in the Hebrew use and meaning instead of the later Greek translation).  The primary meaning is given as; a)pasture, b)uninhabited land, wilderness, c)large tracts of wilderness (around cities), d)wilderness (fig).  However it also included a secondary meaning as that of the mouth – as an organ of speech. 

Reading through the information on H4057 clearly showed that this particular word for wilderness should not be thought of as a barren place, but rather as a pasture fit for feeding flocks.  It also comes from the root word in the Hebrew shown as H1696, a verb which means to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing, to lead away or put to flight. 

I appreciated the idea that my present location was to be thought of as a pasture, ripe for being fed in – not a place of barren nothingness.  This made me think of Psalm 23 that talks about God being our Shepherd and all the ways He cares for us as His sheep. Perhaps a journey into the wilderness is meant to be a place where we are tenderly guided to rest, to drink refreshing water, to have our souls restored and to be led in paths of righteousness. 

However discovering that the root word for wilderness was taken from one for mouth caught me by surprise. But how perfectly these two concepts of pasture and being spoken to marry with the text in which wilderness is being used in here in Hosea 2:14.  It also reveals God’s true heart toward His chosen nation of Israel even though they continued to take from His hand while turning their backs on Him. Even worse, they credited their false gods with the provisions given by the one true God.

These were His chosen people whom He dearly loved, had rescued from a life of slavery and had taken care of for decades.  Though they appear not to care for God at all, His heart still longs for intimacy in spite of their adultery against His Husbandry.  Not only did He want to restore relationship with this lost and broken nation, He wanted to heal and bless her.  So He leads her away from the noise in hopes of doing just that.

His entire purpose for alluring her to the wilderness was to “speak tenderly and to her heart”. But by divine wisdom His words would only be spoken in the intimate privacy found outside the city limits. 

I know beyond all doubt that at least part of the reason why God has allured me into the wilderness has to do with healing my heart from some long standing hurts.  It has taken an extended “quiet” time away from all the distractions in order for these wounds to surface long enough to be examined, discussed, cried over …. And miraculously, even healed.  Out here, He has fed me by hand and spoken some very sweet, tender words of hope and encouragement.

What I am discovering out here is a deeper grounding in His love. I’m learning to make Him my security and finding how secure that makes me feel inside regardless of circumstances.  Fear and anxiety no longer linger in the back of my mind the way they once did.  There is a growing sense of wholeness and I’ve never experienced that before. Could it be that what I have been viewing as a negative place to be is actually a profoundly wonderful place to be?

But if so many wonderful outcomes result from following God out into the wilderness when He beckons – or when we awaken to find ourselves there; then why don’t we talk more about these seasons?   Reading through the Bible shows this concept so clearly.  From the life of Moses, Abraham, Jacob, John the Baptist and even Jesus Himself along with many, many others who have spent time in the wilderness.  Why does it catch me off guard that the God Who loves me has, for a season, dried up the flow of blessing that comes from my relationships with human beings, things and even experiences?  If I had realized from the start that it was so He could talk to me more deeply just maybe I would have run into the wilderness! 

What about you – have you too experienced this type of a dry season?  How did you interpret it and what has been the outcome?  I would love to hear about it.