This Place of our Affliction

The beasts of the field honor Me,
the jackals and the ostriches,

because I give waters in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert,
to give drink to My people, My chosen,
the people I formed for Myself,

that they may set forth My praise
[and they shall do it].

Isaiah 43:20-21 (AMP)

For as long as I can remember, Christians have considered being in a dry place a negative thing; a place where we aren’t supposed to be and would only admit to with close friends. This is not the impression I get from reading the Bible, however.

Not only did Jesus purposefully enter the wilderness on a regular basis but historically, God seems to prefer meeting with man in these desert regions.

Consider when the Israelites came out of Egypt. We usually talk of their time in the wilderness as a time of great misery, as though they were brought through the Red Sea with great victory only to be plunged into a hot land of delusion and disappointment. But was that God’s perspective?

I was reading Isaiah 43:15-21 the other morning and began to piece together a very different picture in my mind.

First, God declares himself to be the Holy One, the Creator of Israel, the King who made a way through the sea and destroyed the horse, army, and mighty warrior in the process. This was a great and mighty act of love and protection from God toward his chosen people. But then he says an interesting thing:

“Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The beasts of the field honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen, the people I formed for Myself, that they may set forth My praise [and they shall do it].”  Isaiah 43:18-21 (AMP)

Why would God so directly want to turn their attention from the miracle of the Red Sea to the wilderness ahead of them? What did this desert hold that was so important after such a sign of his mighty right hand?

The Red Sea was a point of demarcation; it was a boundary between the old and the new. Before the sea was a land of bondage and death, the sea itself held the dead remains of their enemy, and the wilderness beyond was a place of freedom and God’s provision.

Did you catch that? The wilderness was a place of freedom and provision.

The Israelites may not have seen it that way because it didn’t come in the package they expected, but God never left them or forsook them. His protection and provision were constant, though their vision to see and their hearts to believe were weak. Yes, the promised land was important, but I wonder if the wilderness was not even more important. It was the testing ground—the deciding place. It was a place of God revealing himself in a whole new and deeper way. Would his people trust him completely, confident in his goodness, wisdom, and power? Those who believed God to be who he said he was moved on into the promised land; many did not.

Verse 20 amazes me. “The beasts of the field honor Me.” The beasts gave honor to the mighty Jehovah for providing water in the desert, and yet most of Israel, the chosen people of God, failed to recognize this astonishing provision.

Do you find yourself in a dry place today? Don’t look back toward the land of your bondage, or even to the place where God miraculously saved you from your enemies. Those seasons are over and he is now offering you a great opportunity. He is longing to reveal his sovereignty to you by providing for you in this most hot and dry place.

God longs for a people who trust him so much that even when there is no water in sight, we will praise and adore him, knowing that at the right moment, water will spring forth from the sand.

Father, lead us forward. We trust you to feed us with your right hand and bring forth water from the ground. We choose to honor you in this place of our affliction, knowing that someday we will look back on it with deep affection.

Searching for more soothing inspiration? Continue to read encouragement for the heart ~ Changing Your Perspective on Obedience – Part I

Amy Layne Litzelman is passionate about knowing God more intimately in each moment and helping others do the same. Amy released her first book, This Beloved Road: A Journey of Revelation and Worship, in 2011. She has also composed over seventy songs, recorded four CDs, and traveled to teach and lead worship across the United States and in the Philippines and China. She and her husband, Matt, live in Jackson Hole, WY and have two adult sons.

Learn more about gifted faith writer Amy Layne Litzelman