GOD IN THE WILDERNESS - PART V (May 6, 2012)

Once there were two people in the boat, one the boatman and other a professor from a reputed college.  The professor felt very boring and started conversing with the boatman asking him whether he know subjects like Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, Geology etc.  The boatman said except riding the boat he knew nothing.  The professor uttered that the boatman wasted his life by not knowing all these subjects.  On hearing this, the boatman felt hurt and kept quiet.  Once they crossed a considerable distance, a hole appeared in the boat through which water gushed in and the boat started to sink.  Now the boatman asked the professor (in his own methodology) whether he knew Swimmology.  Otherwise Crocodology will come and eat him.  There will be no Escapology and there is a danger of Drownology.  The professor could not say anything at this because of much fear.  He found that all this happened because of his bad mouth.  From this we understood that we need always to be humble in the sight of God and man and be silent.  With this thought I proceed with today’s message.

Psalms 95:8 - “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness.  God the Father sent Jesus to the wilderness not all alone but He would have commanded His angels to be on the side of Jesus in order to protect Him and to help Him.  Even more, He Himself would have descended from Heaven and went before Jesus.  Likewise in your life of wilderness, God will send His angels and He will also go before you and change your bitter life to the life of oasis in the wilderness.

Psalms 78:40 - How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert!  The one thing God expects from you is that you should not harden your heart or provoke Him when you face the life of wilderness.  God will definitely change your life of wilderness to the springs of water.  How will our God going to be for us this week in this life of wilderness?

1.    HE WILL BE OUR LOVE IN THE WILDERNESS
 

Song of Solomon 8:5 - Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?  As we could see here, she was leaning upon her lover in the wilderness.  We need to have this experience also of leaning on the lover who is Jesus for us no matter what happens.  For eg., Children lean on the shoulders and the lap of their mothers but not on the strangers.  For someone to lean on the other there should be a close relationship.  This will happen only when there is love between those two.  So when we lean on the shoulders of Jesus, He will come as our love in our wilderness life.  Ours is the only God of love and both love and God cannot be separated easily.  This is the important characteristic of our God.  We cannot compare the love of God to anyone in this world.  Love of men will fade away very soon.

Once a newly married couple went to a Garden.  While they were walking, a thorn pricked the foot of wife.  The husband got angry and scolded the thorn for hurting his new wife.  Two years later, this couple went to the same garden and a thorn pricked the wife’s foot the same way as before.  This time the husband turned to his wife chiding her for not walking carefully.  This is the kind of love men which will change after a particular season.  But our lover Jesus Christ is the same today, tomorrow, and forever.  His love never changes and is waiting for us in the wilderness to embrace us.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, please be my lover in my life of wilderness.  I confess today that your alone is enough for me.  I also understood that the love of this world is temporary and your love alone is permanent.  I want to lean on your shoulders to have a close relationship with you.  Thank you.

2.   HE WILL BE THE ANSWER IN THE WILDERNESS
 

Psalms 78:19, 20 - Yes, they spoke against God:  They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? True, He struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly, but can He also give us bread? Can He supply meat for his people?”  The Israelites when started off from Egypt did not carry water or food because they wanted to be released from the wilderness life of Egypt.  So when they reached the wilderness they started grumbling putting across many questions.  We need to think at this point of how the wilderness environment would be.  There will be radiation of heat so that no one could stand.  The radiation of this terrible wilderness will be felt even at the height of 30,000 feet.  Even though God got angry, He came down as an answer for them.  They ate with satiation until the food came out of their nostrils.

Once I traveled in an AC compartment of the train where a short-tempered passenger next to me was scolding the attendant for reducing the AC temperature.  The attendant would have seen many passengers like this.  So he did not say anything but kept the AC to full temperature and left the place silently.  At midnight, everyone in the compartment felt very numb because of the cold.  The short-tempered passenger started searching the attendant for reducing the AC, but could not find him.  We spent the rest of the night shivering.  Like that attendant, Our God will also give us things enormously beyond our use when we murmur against Him to prove His prodigality.

So if you have come with many questions today asking God, Is it possible?, Will it happen? and so on.  But God is going to be your answer this day when you pray to Him now.  It is impossible to men, but with God all things are possible.  You are going to receive an answer for all your questions and you are going to see a miracle this week.

Prayer:  Lord, I have many questions in my life as to what is going to happen next.  But I believe you that you are going to be an answer for all my questions.  Kindly do so and help change my situation.  Thank you.

3.    HE WILL BE THE LIGHTHOUSE IN THE WILDERNESS
 

Psalms 78: 52, 53 - But He made His own people go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.  And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.  People making their journey on a cruise will be very happy at the beginning seeing the shore getting smaller and smaller as the ship moves inward and inward the sea.  They will also be excited to see the enormous facilities of the cruise, the entertainments, food varieties, etc.  But after three or four days every excitement will fade away and they will start longing for the visibility of the shore.  The shore could only be identified only by a lighthouse nearby from the ship.

The Lord also brought the Israelites carefully out of the wilderness.  That is why they were unafraid in the wilderness.  He was found to them as a lighthouse.  Otherwise they would never have made out their way in the wilderness.  Likewise God is going to be to you as a lighthouse showing you the right path and make you see the blessing.  Perhaps you might be saying, “ I do not know which way I am heading towards and my life is meaningless.”  But God says, “I am the God and I will be your lighthouse to make you see the right shore.

Prayer:  Dear lord, I really do not know where my life goes and I feel I have a meaningless life.  Please help me see the right shore.  Thank you.

4.    HE WILL BE THE DELIVERANCE FROM THE WILDERNESS
 

Psalms 78:4, 5, 6 - They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in.  Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.  Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses.  Once in a rainy season, a particular family got struck in their house unable to come out since water surrounded their house.  We tried calling the fire rescue service but they informed us that the fire engine got struck in the water and asked us to call in the morning.  Since the height of the water was raising high, we could not do anything.  We called on to the Lord for help.  He immediately arranged necessary things and helped that family to escape out of the water.

Likewise you might also feel no way of escape in your distresses.  But God will give you Grace for your safe escape from all your distresses when you call out to Him.  He will deliver you from all sorts of distresses and you will see deliverance in the wilderness.

Prayer:  Lord, I am in much distress not knowing the way out.  I call out to you for help.  Please be my deliverer and give victory.  Thank you.

5.    HE WILL BE THE TRUST IN THE WILDERNESS
 

Psalms 136:16 – to him who led his people through the wilderness; His love endures forever.  Perhaps you might trust someone for their timely help.  But they will be the first one to leave you half way through.  So place your absolute trust on God.  He is our hope and trust in the wilderness life.

Psalms 48:14 says, “For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end.”  Even till the last day in the wilderness, God will lead you.  So one thing you need to do now is just confess Jesus and believe in Him.  He will not forsake you till the end.  The faces of those who look on Him will not be ashamed.  He will be your absolute trust and give you hope so that you gain victory.

Prayer:  Dear lord, I put my hope in you.  Please be my only trust in the wilderness and make me see victories.  Thank you.