Preparing for the Promise

My time in Spain has come to an end and I'm now back in Scotland again. While still in Spain, I was able to attend two more Sunday "gatherings" at my friends' home. The theme which emerged during these two weeks was about "redigging the wells." This was kind of interesting for me, as this story in Genesis 26 was one of the Bible passages which God had used at the beginning of this year to confirm the fact that I needed to "move on" from South Africa. I've checked on the internet for a map of the place where Isaac had to re-dig those wells (the valley of Gerar) and I saw that it was actually in a desert location - half way between Gaza and Beersheba. This was interesting, because I remembered that another passage God spoke through was in Exodus 15, when He said that we were going to be "crossing the Red Sea" and coming into a desert place.

I began to look at other Bible passages about people travelling in the desert, and I discovered that, first and foremost, the desert was a place where people had to really depend on God and draw close to Him. It was usually a time when they were "homeless" - living in tents and travelling from place to place. And the most encouraging thing about deserts is that they were never the end destination, but were always just a stepping stone to a place of promise. Isaac’s well-digging finished at Beersheba - the well of the promise - where God appeared to him and promised to bless him. Beersheba was also the place where God spoke promises to Hagar and Ishmael (when they lost their home with Abraham and Sarah.) It was the place that Elijah fled to when he was threatened by Jezebel - a place of strengthening and recommissioning, right there in the desert.

You sometimes hear Christians speaking of the "desert" as a hard, dry time when God seems far away. It really doesn’t have to be like that! While it’s true that the desert is a place where we don’t have our usual comforts and conveniences, a place where we’re feeling "homeless" and travelling into the unknown, it can also be a place where God comes close to us, where He proves His faithfulness in amazing ways and prepares us for the promises that lie ahead. I’m making the most of my personal journey "on the other side of the Red Sea" and enjoying my relationship with God during this season of transition.Thank you so much for your prayers. I pray that you too will know God’s presence and His faithfulness in whatever season of your life you may be passing through at the moment.