Listening in the Wilderness

"...the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness..." Numbers 9:1

"Rod Nash, wilderness historian, tells us that wilderness is a difficult word to define. While the word is a noun, it acts like an adjective. There is no specific material object that is 'wilderness'. There is no universal definition of wilderness. He believes that wilderness is so heavily weighed with meaning of a personal, symbolic, and changing kind that it is difficult to define."

The 'wilderness' can be a deserted place, disordered, confused and wild, yet it can also be a santuary, an escape, a place away from pressures. It's a place where you can feel lost or found.

Our reading today encourages that God speaks to us in our wilderness. Eugene Peterson writes that "Anybody who has anything to do with God spends time in the wilderness". Sometimes God chases us to the wilderness to get our attention. It's not a place, but a situation. God is into transformation and the wilderness is His classroom. It's often a time of testing where we settle the question, "Who is in control?"

In Hebrew, the word for wilderness is midbar. It is surely interesting that the root of midbar has the meaning of "speak" or "word." God truly does speak to us in the wilderness.

Hosea 2:14 says, "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her." Has God called you into the wilderness? Don't be frightened. Although uncertainties quite often accompany the wilderness, you are not alone. God desires to speak tenderly to you. The mighty, rushing wind of His Spirit is blowing. The true Vine wants us abiding in Him.

Listening in the be-wilderness.

~ Sorry for the late post today. It is "Family Day" here in Ontario and both my husband and son are home. I've resolved that I will not be on the computer if they are home. They are currently out for a couple of hours of down-hill skiing! Thanks for your patience.

Quote from: Wilderness and the American Mind, Roderick Nash, Yale University Press, 1982