contentment in your wilderness

Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years (Deuteronomy 8:2 NLT).
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If you are in a place of dryness or barrenness (wilderness) right now, it has not come to destroy you!  The wilderness was never created to destroy us, but is a place designed for us to discover true contentment, who we are in Christ, and who God is!  Paul wrote that whatever state he was in that he had learned to be content whether with little or with much (Philippians 4:11-13).  It was this same Apostle Paul who spent time in the wilderness before being released into public ministry (Galatians 1:16-17).  There is something about time spent alone that helps us realize who we were designed to be!  Jesus also had to spend time in the wilderness before being released into public ministry.  The Bible proclaims that he left His wilderness experience with power (Luke 4:14) and I am sure a greater understanding of who He was!  Power is the byproduct of properly going through a wilderness experience.  

Our wilderness experiences also show us who God is!  When the Children of Israel left Egypt, God led them through the wilderness and provided everything that they needed (Deuteronomy 8:3-4)!  Although they were not yet in the Promised Land and struggled emotionally concerning whether they would ever reach the Promised Land, God demonstrated His great love and power by providing for all of their needs!  Don't despise your wilderness experiences but trust God to refine you through them so He can bring you into the Land of Promise that He has prepared for you!