Much like the Israelite’s journey through the wilderness, I find myself in the wilderness these days.
In our never-ending quest for sanctification, God leads us through the wilderness on our way to our destination. I have some tough lessons to learn and I am learning a lot about myself. It’s not all bad though. I think that God takes us through the wilderness to protect us from what would be much worse if we went in the direction that we chose ourselves. I am finally learning to relinquish control, I am learning to recognize my many blessings and I am learning to find peace in the middle of chaos. Sometimes it is in the midst of the wilderness that we see and hear God the clearest. He uses our wilderness to draw us closer and sometimes takes us to a place where our only choice is to depend on him.
I think we all find ourselves in the wilderness from time to time. It is exhausting. But – we have a good God!! While on the journey through our personal wilderness, God never makes us go too far without finding an oasis – a moment of peace and rest. Time to refresh!!
A few weeks back He led me to a perfect oasis – dinner with my Christian sisters! What a perfect opportunity to be refreshed! We met in the tiny village of Augusta, close to where we all live, at a relatively new restaurant called Canal Street Café. As we each pulled into the parking lot that Wednesday evening, we all thought that the café would be as packed as the parking lot but were pleasantly surprised to see some empty tables when we walked in.
The Canal Street Café claims ‘farm fresh’ and has a small but interesting menu with a nearly equal number of nightly specials. Atmosphere and service were good. We all enjoyed our meals and a few of us also enjoyed a glass of wine. Elisabeth has recently relocated to South Haven and couldn’t make it in to Augusta for dinner with us. We missed her but we know that she loves her new digs and promises to continue to join us now and then. Miriam, Ruth, Anna and I were joined by Rebbecca, a mutual friend that we have known for a long time. She slid into her chair, beamed with a big smile and instantly fit into the group. We look forward to spending more time with her. What a blessing!
The conversation was much like the others we’ve had – never anything earth-shaking but always heart-warming. It was a pleasant rest along the road through my wilderness. Thank you, girlfriends! I am refreshed, renewed and ready to continue my journey.
Pricilla Shirer in her study entitled ‘One in a Million’ says this: ‘We must synchronize our primary purposes with God’s. No matter how well-prepared we think we are, we must realize that we can neither accomplish abundant life with God nor overcome the Enemy’s advances without the Lord’s help. While we often want the easiest and least challenging route to abundant life in Christ, we must acknowledge that God wants to take us on the path that fosters a deeper relationship with Him. He wants us to lay aside our determination to do life our way and follow Him. Only when we do this can we truly become ready to face what lies ahead.’
Let’s prepare for what lies ahead, Ladies!
Blessings until next time,
Sarah
