Purpose Of The Wilderness In The Bible & Why It’s Vital.

I am sure you have come across something called a wilderness experience in your life where God seems far from you. This post today will discuss the purpose of the wilderness in the bible.

There are many reasons why God allows us to experience a wilderness season in our lives as we grow in our relationship with Him, as was the case for the Israelites in the Old Testament.

During the Old Testament times, we see that God has to let the Israelites first go through the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. You may be asking why all this.

Why couldn’t God just let them go straight into the Promised Land without the hustle of first passing through the wilderness considering that they had to face and endure there?

Well, there are many explanations for that answer and we will discuss some of the reasons God had to let the Israelites go through the wilderness first before entering the Promised Land.

With that said, let us look at the purpose of the wilderness in the bible and why God allows us to experience a wilderness season in our lives.

Purpose Of Wilderness Seasons In God’s People.

Throughout the bible verses in the Old Testament, we can see that God had a purpose for allowing the children of Israel to first go through the wilderness before entering the Promised Land.

There are many reasons why God permits wilderness seasons in our lives. In fact, our Lord Jesus Christ wasn’t exempt from having a wilderness experience in His life in the new testament as we see in Luke 4:1-13 during his earthy ministry.

From the above bible verse, we can see that Jesus Christ had been in the desert wilderness for 40 days and forty nights before Satan tempted Him after being led by the Holy Spirit there.

It’s only after going through that wilderness season did Christ’s earthly ministry take off. The above example clearly shows that God allows wilderness seasons in our Christian lives to test and refine our faith in Him.

The same can be seen in the case of the children of Israel. The wilderness or desert season in your life is a time of testing and spiritual growth. It’s a time when your faith in God is thoroughly and comprehensively tested to see if it’s genuine or not.

You need to understand that your faith in God can only grow and mature if it’s subjected to trials and refinements through the hardships and trials the wilderness season presents to you.

Otherwise, if your faith wasn’t tested during the wilderness experience in your life, it will be weak and good for nothing. Your faith can only be proven to be true if it passes the refining fire of trials found in the wilderness.

Wilderness Seasons Draw Us Closer To God.

Another purpose for the wilderness in the bible is God uses it to bring us closer to Him as the wilderness reminds us why God is vital in our lives.

It’s only when you find yourself in the wilderness amid nothing will you see the need of being closer to God for your protection and the provision of bread in your life.

The Israelites got close to God in the wilderness because they realized that only He could deliver them from the trials and tribulations they experienced there.

They got close to God in the wilderness as there were able to experience and witness God’s power, faithfulness, protection, goodness, and provision which they wouldn’t have otherwise experienced if they weren’t in the wilderness.

Consequently, they drew closer to God and got to know Him better as they learned and appreciated His marvelous works and miracles there such as sending them manna from heaven as we see in Exodus 16:1-10.

In like manner, God will let you go through a desert season in your life be it spiritually or financially so that you can draw closer to him and depend on Him for your needs He promises to supply you according to His riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

If everything went well in our lives, we would easily forget God and think it’s by our own power we are where we are as opposed to God’s grace upon our lives.

The Wilderness Is A Place Of Refinement.

God also allows wilderness seasons in our lives as believers so that He refines us into the people we were meant to be. 1 Peter 2:9 tells us that we are a royal priesthood and a chosen people different from the people of the world.

Since you are called to be royal priesthood in Christ Jesus, you, therefore, need to be refined so that you can fulfill this high calling upon your life as a Christian in your Christian living.

And one of the ways God refines us and prepares us for this high calling is to let us go through the wilderness where trials of faith there refine us and remove all the dross we may still have that’s of Egypt (the world in this case).

It’s the reason why the Lord has to let the children of Israel go through the wilderness first before entering the promised land to refine them as Gold is refined through the fire.

The children of Israel had a lot of spiritual refinements that they needed as they were getting out of Egypt as Egyptian life had influenced them to some extent.

All that dross had to be removed before they entered the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey where God wanted them to serve Him acceptable without any idols in their hearts.

Being in the wilderness was the only way they could be spiritually refined and be a separate peculiar nation and peculiar people (Exodus 19:5), different from the rest God called them to be.

In like manner, God will let you have desert experiences in your life to purge you and be the person He designed you to be so that you can fulfill the divine purpose He has for your life.

The Wilderness Prepares Us For The Promised Land.

Last but not least, the wilderness period also prepares us for the blessings God has prepared for us in the promised land flowing with milk and honey.

In this case, the milk and honey represent the blessings and abundance in all areas of your life God has prepared for you to inherit once your wilderness period or season is over in your Christian life.

You need to go through the wilderness or desert season characterized by lack, and spiritual and financial drought so that you can appreciate the blessings and abundance in your life once you have them.

If God never lets you have a desert season in your life, you won’t appreciate the blessings God will give you in times of plenty as you won’t see the value.

Also, the wilderness seasons we experience in this life are being used by God to prepare us for our spiritual Promise Land and Canaan, heaven in this case where we will spend eternity with God in heaven in everlasting joy.

As a Christian, you need to understand that this world isn’t your home but a spiritual wilderness that you are just passing by en route to your heavenly Canaan where there will be no more suffering and death (Revelations 21:4).

All the suffering, trials, and tribulations will be completely worth it in the end once you make heaven at last and you will be glad you endured them and shared in Christ’s suffering.

So, don’t the trials and hardships of this life make you give up on God as they are just but for a season compared to the glory that is yet to be revealed to you which can’t be compared to your present suffering (Romans 8:18).

Final Remarks.

I hope the above post on the purpose of the wilderness in the bible has finally helped you understand why God allows wilderness seasons in the lives of Christians.

In closing, if this post was edifying to you, drop a comment below, and don’t forget to share it with others who need to see this. God bless.

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