It could take awhile but the payoff at the end is always worth it.
Always, always, always worth it!

Jimmy Shaw was a guest speaker at our church this weekend. He runs an organization called “Discipletrek” whose motto is, “Encounter God and Explore Creation on a Faith-Based Adventure.” In his message, he was talking about the trips he takes people on all over the world, places he describes these as “wilderness” locations.

These are places that are inhospitable to human life. Places like the Himalayan mountains, Patagonia, volcanoes in Ecuador, Mount Kilimanjaro – all places that are dangerous and hard. His message was about the wilderness.

In Exodus, the Israelites flee Egypt and God leads them into the wilderness.

Exodus 13:17-18 says, When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearby; for God said, “The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war.” ¹⁸ So he led the people around toward the Red Sea along the road of the wilderness. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt in battle formation.

God took the Israelites into the wilderness for their own good. He knew their hearts. He knew them better than they knew themselves. At the first sign of war, they would have begged to go back to Egypt. See Exodus 14:10-12.

Something that really stuck out was a quote Jimmy had about slavery and freedom:

“The masses very often prefer predictable slavery over an unpredictable journey to freedom.” – Jimmy Shaw

The purpose of the wilderness for the Israelites was not to punish them, but to shape their character. To get them in a position where they trusted God for all their needs. He gave them manna daily, that only lasted for one day, except on the day before the Sabbath, when it lasted two days. Every day was a daily trust exercise that they learned that God was their source and daily provision and He was faithful every day to provide it. God wanted to make them into a people who could defeat their enemies, not by their own power, but by trusting in God to show up in the battle.

You learn resiliency in the wilderness. You learn to fail and to try again in the wilderness. You learn that you are tougher than you thought when you first started out in the wilderness. The wilderness is an opportunity for God to grow in you what He needs you to be and develop what you need to have for the next season.

You don’t stay in the wilderness forever. The wilderness is a season. It can be a long season. Partner with God in a season of wilderness and it will go better. I cannot promise it will be short though. I cannot promise it will be easy or smooth.

I was reflecting on Jimmy’s message in the season I am currently in. It’s a season of waiting. It’s a season of wilderness. Waiting can be a kind of wilderness. I was processing the message and I was praying and then I felt like I got the quote at the top of this page:

It could take awhile but the payoff at the end is always worth it.
Always, always, always worth it!

What I have discovered time and time again about God and His plans and His ways is that they are always trustworthy. God has a plan. God knows what He is doing. God always brings me through. I know that what He has at the end of this road is good. I know that He is faithful. He has proven it to me over and over. I would rather wait and trust Him, no matter how long it takes. Because it is ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS WORTH IT!

He has never let me down. He has never failed me. He has never left my side. I know that what He has waiting for me is WORTH ALL OF IT!

Jimmy Shaw’s last point in his message was about how the wilderness forges our identity and he uses a quote from a favorite book of mine:

Bilbo: “Can you promise I will come back?”
Gandalf: “No. And if you do… you will not be the same.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

God is in the business of transformation. He sees in you and me something we cannot see in ourselves. He sees the original design and all the plans He had in mind for us. He wants to see us reach the full potential He created us for. That is why we must go through the wilderness. That is why He doesn’t leave us the way we are: in slavery. He wants us to experience true freedom and to live fully alive.

In order to get us there, something in us needs to change.

– Jason

If you want to watch this famous scene with Bilbo and Gandalf, here’s a short clip of it from YouTube: