Something Wild

So I am still in the first part of Mark, and I have gotten to verse 3 and 4, both of which make references to the wilderness. This prompted me to investigate wilderness. The dictionary describes wilderness as an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region, a neglected or abandoned area of town, and a position of disfavor.

Then I thought about how the people of God interact with the wilderness.

First, Abraham was called from the city to go to the wilderness. Back in that time, Abraham was wealthy, but his wealth put him in a precarious position. He was wondering as a nomad with no land, no family, and the area was ruthless. God did protect and provide for Abraham in the wilderness, and even made him prosperous. Also, in the wilderness, he encountered God who promised that through Abraham the nations would be blessed, and specifically, that Abraham would have a son. His wilderness experience was not without trials and stressful situations. He had to rescue his nephew, he had to send his biological son away, and he had to continually wander without a destination. Sometimes, God's calling on our lives will lead us into a wilderness experience. In those times, we need to be faithful to God by remembering His promises and trusting in His leadership.

Second, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt into the wilderness. This was a passage to get to the promised land, and required much faith in God. This was not an easy passage, and usually when God is calling, it's not easy. However, it is always worth the struggle. Sometimes, the struggle's ending is not fully realized until the end of time. This passage seemed impossible. The land was inhospitable, but amidst the wilderness, God provided a way for the people to eat and to drink. However, God did only give them their daily nourishment. In the same way, when we are going through the wilderness in our lives, we need to remember to lean on God daily, and not worry about the future. Another thing to learn here is that the Isreaelites had to stay longer than they needed to in the wilderness. It was because of their sin. They had lost sight and faith of God, even through the miracles of manna, quail and water. It is easy to judge them, but honestly, don't we do the same thing? We complain and grumble about our jobs, or our current situation, even when surrounded by God's blessing and grace, and then we search for other gods. Ours just have different names, like Netflix (mine). It's time to lay our idols down and get back to worshiping God.

Third, Jesus had lots of experiences in the wilderness. He was tested and tempted in the wilderness, and sometimes, he went off to the wilderness to spend time praying to His Father. In His example, we see that we need to know the Word of God to defeat temptations while in the wilderness, we need to pray and connect to the Father while in the wilderness, and we also need to be able to accept help when we need it. Jesus did all of these things.

Wilderness in the Bible shows up as a space where identities shift, possibilities occur, nourishment happens, revelations come, temptations come knocking, a place of solitude, and a place of danger. I think that while we are on this earth, we are in the wilderness. We are searching for the promised land. We know it is coming, but sometimes, we feel as though we find it, but it's just a trap. To stay on track and reach God's Promised Land, we need to be in our Bibles daily, in prayer constantly, and focused on God's calling in our life.

I think it is of no coincidence that my daughter, Sasha, has recently found the song "Something Wild" and listens to it often. She created a video with it in the background. While, I don't think it's the most theologically correct song to accompany this post, it does have an interesting message. It's basically says that when we plan our lives and it lets us down that we try to find another way, or when the city lights are blinding, or you can't see the stars, that the WILD is calling at you. What I take this to mean is that a person hearing the wild calling them is not in the right place yet. This is true. Almost all of us can relate to feeling the drain of every day life and how we want so much more than what we are doing.  I believe this feeling is God given, and can be achieved by listening to Him and finding the way that He wants you to go. It is scary to be called into the wilderness, but remember this: Making it to God's promised land is worth it.

I have provided the video of the song below. Enjoy!