God leads us into the wilderness.
It is often severe, savage, and scary.
It is a place of solitude — where everything familiar is stripped away, where there is nothing left to cling to.
It is a painful place.
A place of betrayal, loneliness, and heartbreak.
A place of dust and silence.
A place where the things we once trusted — the false foundations we built our lives on — begin to crumble.
And yet...
It is in the wilderness that we come face to face with Him.
No accolades to carry. No distractions to hide behind. Just us — exposed and searching.
The wilderness is not abandonment.
It is a place of love.
A place of divine courtship.
Where God separates us for Himself — to get our full attention.
To whisper to us in the silence.
To remind us that even in the desolate places, He is enough.
Hosea 2:14:
"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her."
This was a really good thing for me to read, as I'm finally winding down a day that I thought would never go away and leave me alone. I love the book of Hosea.
(Have you ever read G. Campbell Morgan's very old, out of print book "Hosea: the Heart and Holiness of God"?)
Thanks, I haven't heard of that book, though I just downloaded it. Thanks for the suggestion.