21 February | Youth
«And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.» Deuteronomy 8:2
The desert is the place where God's acts in the lives of His children. The Eternal One takes us to the desert to humble us, prove us and give us understanding. Moses knew well what he was talking about, because he spent a lot of time in the desert. You may have heard that Moses' life can be divided into three periods of 40 years. He spent 40 years learning from men in Egypt; 40 years unlearning in the desert and learning from God; 40 years leading a difficult and obstinate people through the desert. He therefore spent 80 years in the desert. Moses must have something to teach us, don't you think?
It is in the desert school that we learn the most profound life lessons. The Hebrew word for desert is midbar and has the same root as the word dabar, which is “to speak.” This is interesting because the desert is a place where God speaks. In the desert, the silence is so profound that we are able to hear our own breathing. There, God manages to captivate our attention. There you learn to be silent, to be alone and to wait to hear what God wants to say.
Why does God take us to desert places? According to Moses, His purpose is to humble us. Sometimes God lets someone tumble in order for them to be able to look up. God puts us in the desert to refine us and not to destroy us.
In the desert, Moses had to learn that he was nobody. In Egypt, he thought he was someone important, respected, admired. When he passed by, everyone bowed to him. Sheep do not do that. People say sheep are unintelligent animals. In the desert, Moses had to learn to live with little. His fancy clothes were not appropriate for the simplicity of his new job.
What does God do for His children in the desert? According to Deuteronomy, He cares, protects, guards and guides. If you are walking through the desert today, you are probably thinking, “I cannot take this anymore!” However, do not lose sight of the core lesson of the desert: God loves you!