Are you longing for rest? Have you ever felt alone even though you’re in the midst of many? I know I have. This last week, my husband and I waited in the Starbuck’s line. He asked, “Have you ever felt alone or is that something only shy people experience?” I replied with sincerity, sharing the depth of loneliness I have felt in my lifetime. Instantly, he could see that loneliness wasn’t just for “shy” people. 

Loneliness can creep up on us in both the good and hard times. Often, loneliness reveals itself most when we’re walking through a difficult season of life.

Jeremiah 31: 2

“Thus saith the Lord, The people who which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness;”

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Je 31:2). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Life’s journey is sure to lead us to the wilderness at one time or another.

I have applied so much energy to avoid the desolate places in life. I have searched in vain for the detours, shortcuts, or the easy way out. Dreading these moments in life, I held my breath and walked through the wilderness. I had some notion that I could complete the journey, untouched, and as quickly as possible.

Mark 6:31

“And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while”

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Mk 6:31). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

I remember the moment of solitude when the Lord asked me to stop rushing through the wilderness. When He invited me to pause and fellowship with Him in the midst of my most desolate places.

As I shared this memory with my daughter, without hesitation, she replied, “Oh! desolation, that doesn’t sound like a pleasant place!” She verbalized what my soul had screamed on multiple occasions in my lifetime.

At that time, I thought my survival was dependent on how fast I could get through these painful moments. The idea that God called me to this desolate place. The thought that He wanted to fellowship with me in the wilderness. These ideas brought a whole new outlook to my journey through the desert. Looking back, I can clearly see God was in the very place, the desert, that I had been trying to avoid. Not only was He there, but He had provided grace and rest for me in this desolate place.

Friend, are you needing rest? Do you feel like you’re trying to skirt around the wilderness? Do you feel alone as you travel? Take heart, God is there calling you to come away with Him to that place of rest is filled with grace!!

Discovering Grace In The Wilderness

• Create a gratitude book devoted to this season of life.
• Use colored pencils! Allow your creativity to add splashes of art on the pages as you journal.
• Enjoy this uplifting Spotify account, Grace in the Wilderness, with encouraging music
• Gather reminders of encouraging passages from Scripture. Place these reminders around the house, in the car, and in your workplace.
• Make time to be quiet before the Lord, praying and reading the Word. Be careful to guard this time! Don’t let any busy work steal this time away from you.

Until our next chat,

Mrs. Joseph Wood

P.S you may also enjoy this note I recently wrote called, Growing in Grace.