Recognizing the Wilderness

𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨…
A word that does not
sound inviting.

It doesn’t promise comfort or ease.

When I hear it, I imagine a place that is…

lonely,
dry,
heavy,
forgotten,
isolated.

Not a place anyone would willingly choose.

Recently, I listened to someone share about their own spiritual 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨. As they spoke, I realized they were giving language to something I had been living but hadn’t yet named. God used their story to help me recognize my own.

I have been living in the 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨.

Looking back, I can trace the beginning of that journey to my battle with long COVID.

My struggle with faster healing and recovery. The pain my body experienced and still holds. My brain fog and hardship with concentration. My fatigue and lack of desire led me into difficult moments with the Lord—difficulty accepting my “new” self.

Tears, anger, and loneliness seemed like a daily experience.
And even God’s silence and slowness in my life were frustrating.

For months, I carried this word with me.

I prayed over it.

I wrestle with it.

I resisted it.

Finally, I admitted what my heart already knew.
I am in the 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨.

At first,
I searched for another word
Anything but 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨.
Because who wants to admit they are living in a place that feels empty?

Who wants to embrace a season marked by weakness, unanswered questions, and waiting?

But something changed when I stopped resisting this
lonely,
dry,
forgotten
dwelling.

When I accepted that this is where God had me.
I accepted the beauty of silence,
the sweetness of stillness,
the freedom to heal,
the joy of solitude,
and the ability to hear Jesus speak in the 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨.

I began to discover His companionship.

I discovered that I was never truly alone.

The 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 has become a place where Jesus has met me with remarkable tenderness.

His care
His rest
His provision
His peace.

They have all found me here.

I don’t understand everything God is doing, but what I’m experiencing with Jesus in the 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 has become holy ground.

His presence has transformed the place I feared into the place where I know Him more deeply than ever before.

Here…

I have learned that His presence is enough.
I am not abandoned
I am seen.
I am cared for.

I am safe
I am secure.

Because He is here.

I have slowly journeyed through the book of Psalms.
Again and again, they have become my companion in the 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨.

In particular, Psalm 16 has anchored my heart.

“I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.” That is why “my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My BODY rests in safety. He shows me the way of life, granting me the joy of His presence and pleasures of living with Him forever.”

Those words have become more than a promise.

They have become my reality.

Because He is beside me, my heart can still rejoice.

My soul can still hope.

Even my weary body can rest in safety.

And He continues showing me the path of life, filling me with joy of His presence.

How long will this 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 last?
Idk…

But I do know this.

I would rather walk through the 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 with Jesus…
than live anywhere else without Him.

Because even in the wilderness,

His presence is home.

✦ Reflect

• What season am I in right now?
• Have I been resisting a wilderness that God may be inviting me to accept?
• Where have I seen God’s faithfulness, even in this difficult season?
• What would it look like to stop resisting and begin trusting?

✦ Pray

Dear Jesus, sometimes I resist the wilderness because it feels lonely, uncertain, and uncomfortable. Yet You so often meet Your people in quiet places. Help me to trust that if You have led me here, You have not abandoned me. Teach me to recognize Your voice in the silence, Your peace in the waiting, and Your presence in the stillness. Even when I long for the wilderness to end, remind me that You are my Shepherd, and wherever You are is the safest place I can be. In Jesus Name… Amen.

✦ Rest

“I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.” —Psalm 16:8

✦ Practice

Spend a few minutes today in silence with God. Resist the urge to fill the quiet with words. Simply breathe, be still, and remind yourself that His presence is enough.

Stay tuned for the next word…