The Wilderness Road Walk

Hi fellow standers!  Here's another devotional which I hope will encourage you today.  This was written by Ben from Texas.  Be strong and courageous!  Stay in faith!

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Take a moment and reflect upon your stand...your stand with Jesus Christ for the resurrection and healing of your marriage relationship. For many of us, it can be a time of great pain and unhappiness, a time filled with anger, distrust, betrayal, you name it. Yet for the Christian, it is a time when we are not in fellowship with our spouse, our one flesh mate. And as we stand with our Lord and Savior, we need to reflect and understand the impact of this time apart from our spouse.

"...and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him."  Mark 1:13

We know from the Gospels that following Jesus Christ's baptism by John the Baptist, Christ was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit for a time of reflection and maturing by His Father. And it was here that Christ showed His strength and wisdom in throwing off the temptations of Satan. In like manner, God led the Israelites on a forty year sojourn in the wilderness to purify and strengthen His people for their destiny in the Promised Land. They had failed the first time under Moses and God sent them into the desert for this time of wandering and His purification.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

I often look at my own stand as a time in the desert, a walk down the wilderness road. It was a time when I came face to face with my own eternity. It became a time when I began to deeply study God's Word, to reflect, to pray, and to hear what God wished to reveal to me. Unencumbered by the day to day distractions of conflict with my wife, it has been a time when I have come close to my Lord and Savior and my Heavenly Father. I have found great beauty and peace in my wanderings along that wilderness road.

In days gone by and even today, there are retreats or long sojourns to quiet places that allow each of us to come in touch with our maker. In times of reflection, we hope to understand what has gone on before that has brought us to this present time in our lives. It is a time for setting realistic goals of spiritual and emotional growth; a time for making resolutions concerning our marriage relationships.

Wilderness road time is not wasted time for as each day goes by, you and I are one day closer to victory, victory in our personal walk with Christ, and victory in the resurrection and healing of our marriage relationships. Wilderness road time allows us time to take baby steps, one step and one day at a time. While we may wish to shorten our wilderness road time, understand this...our marriages did not fall apart overnight and they will not be healed overnight. Time is necessary for our personal growth with Christ and time for the Holy Spirit to work on our spouse's heart. That frequently occurs on the other side of the mountain where we cannot see. Here is where great restraint is needed; here is where trust and faith in God's promises of healing of our marriages is paramount. It is in our wilderness road walk with God that He gives us the strength and wisdom to survive our stand. Use your time on your wilderness road walk to find out who you are in Christ. You will never be disappointed.

I know personally that my stand with my Lord and Savior is time that I would not trade for anything. It is here that I found God. And you can also. Many of us who profess to being Christian question our faith as our marriages disintegrate. We find ourselves wondering where is God in all of this? The wilderness road is the path to wholeness and freedom in Christ. Take it, find out who you are in Christ, and you will never, never be sorry!

"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!  ...And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:12, 13b

"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."  Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)

Your challenge is: Walk the Wilderness Road. Be quiet, listen, and you will find God's grace.