Day 138 Wilderness Witness

 

5/19/2026

 "Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends

of the earth, neither faints nor is weary."

Isaiah 40:28

 

Waiting for something to happen, whether for good or for bad, is not a pleasant place to dwell. In all of life, at various times in our journey, we will experience waiting. In Genesis when Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, because they were jealous of him, although he was taken to Egypt and became the slave of government leaders, he found favor. Even when he was imprisoned under false charges, he found favor with the guard. When he was eventually set free he gained favor from the Pharaoh and became the second highest ranking official in Egypt. He never wavered from his faith, and he saved his family and the nation from starving during the famine. Even though what happened to him was unjust and undeserved, the Lord already had it planned out for His glory.

In Psalm 25:4-5 David is crying out to the Lord for deliverance and forgiveness, and he said: "Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day." In many of David's psalms he cries out to the Lord for help and encouragement, even though as a shepherd he walked with God daily. In the quiet places in the field and in the wilderness, He knew his God.

This past week's Torah portion was called "Bamidbar" which in Hebrew means "in the wilderness." The reading began in Numbers 1:1 where the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai when He gave Moses the commandments and laws. Moses went up on the mountain to receive the Torah. The word "midbar' taken from "bamidbar" means "to speak." When Elijah was running from Jezebel, he went through the wilderness to Mount Sinai to find God. Just as with Moses, God spoke to Elijah, just as He spoke to Moses on the mountain. Prior to meeting with God, they had to go through testing. Moses had been wandering in the desert with a lot of grumbling and complaining going on. Elijah spent a 40 day journey through the wilderness to talk to God, and the angels ministered to him, so that he would have the strength to endure. Spending time in the wilderness is necessary for preparation and testing. And with preparation and testing comes long periods of waiting. But in these times, our hearing becomes more sensitive to the voice of God. In order to grow spiritually and mature in our faith we must endure the heat of the wilderness, the dry places in the desert, and the depth of the valleys. These are places of great victory.