Life in the Wilderness

We moved last May from a house we loved and views that thrilled our hearts with the majesty of the Lord's creation. Our house now is across town where we can see neither of the two views we loved: the Sandia Mountains and the lights of the city at night.

I've tried to be a "good soldier" and be grateful for this house. It's a nice house, and I do like it, but I found myself looking back with longing. God heard me, of course, and reminded me of an event we've all read about in the Old Testament of the Bible.

The Israelites were in the wilderness with God and they were looking over their shoulders at Egypt. That's what came to my mind and the sweet, still voice of the Spirit said, "Don't look back at Egypt."

I never thought of my house on the east side of town as Egypt, and it wasn't because God was there. But when He directed us to pack up and follow Him, that home became our Egypt. Nothing wrong with it, but it was time to move on.

The wilderness is where God was and the Israelites didn't get it. They saw the cloud by day and the fire by night and still didn't understand. They were on their way to the Promised Land but looking backwards and not recognizing Who was leading them kept them in the wilderness 40 years longer than necessary.

I'm not looking back any more. If God's in the wilderness, then that's where I want to be. I don't know what the Promised Land is, but as long as He's leading, that's where I'll end up. It's not really about the destination anyway. It's about the journey.