There is something peculiar about people who walked with God, those who walk with God now, and almost every single committed Christian: the wandering spirit.
The Patriarchs and Israel: A Life of Wandering
From the days of old, as we see from Genesis, most of the people God worked with, He made wanderers. They never really had a place they called home. The Israelites were tent dwellers who were always on the move on their way to Canaan. This was evident much earlier with Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac. These three pioneers of Israel had no real place they called home, although God blessed them wherever life threw them. And so it was for the Israelites in the wilderness until the day they glimpsed the promised land.
It is as though God brings those who are His into a state like this one—a journey replicating that of Israel from Egypt to Canaan. Many Christians tend to feel this way as they mature and go further in following Christ. There comes a time when the noise is gone, the old secular friends disappear, and the world becomes a place one needs to tread carefully. Sometimes even family feels distant. And it is only two people left: you and the Holy Ghost. In these moments, even the devil’s voice seems to get louder, prayers only seem to take longer to get answered, and every bit of your life just feels like it is on the edge.
Christ’s Own Experience of Homelessness
See what Jesus said in Matthew 8:19-20 (NKJV):
A certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
Christ Himself felt this way when asked about His life. He admitted that there is a place for almost everything on this earth, but for those who follow God’s will…
Victory in the Wilderness Through God
If we look at Israel, they faced a lot of resistance and had to fight high-stakes wars against those who wanted to destroy them while in the wilderness. Mind you, they never had any war experience, were not formerly organized with a political sense of leadership (Moses was not a political but a religious figure), and had no trained army to back them. They were mere slaves back in Egypt, yet when they managed to win all these wars, all the other countries that heard of it were scared of them.
That was not the Israelites fighting; it was God through them. This was their secret.
The Modern Christian’s Available Power
The modern-day Christian has this power available to them. You still have the secret the Israelites used to win: the power of the Word through the Holy Spirit. So instead of sinking into all your troubles or complaining before God, remember His already available promise to you.
See what He gave to Adam in Genesis 1:28 (NKJV):
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Remember that Christ restored unto you all that had been lost after Adam’s fall. Yes, the authority the devil had stolen has been given back to you through Jesus Christ. Even much more is this:
“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19 NKJV)
This is the promise that you have at your disposal. And you are still looking at the wilderness around you instead of looking at Christ. The Israelites did beat all their enemies in the wilderness until God showed them a glimpse of His promise to them. When they spied out the city, they saw the giants and forgot what God promised their father Abraham. This was the mistake that cost them an extra 40 years, and all those who doubted ended up dying.
Yet we still have Christians complaining how hard their life is, how things are not working, instead of remembering the promise and power God has entrusted them with—moreover, for free, through grace in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Standing Firm and Following Christ’s Footsteps
This is the hope of this message: that you, as one who knows the truth and the power you received through Christ, are to stand and exercise your authority in the middle of your wilderness. And the rock shall produce water when you are thirsty. And food shall fall from heaven when you are hungry. Even much more.
As for comfort, you can wait for that in heaven. For growth happens in the midst of discomfort. So do not expect to find fulfillment or happiness in the things of this world—be it money, fame, reputation, or name it. Your place of rest is in Christ. As He Himself had no place to lay His head here, do not so much expect a place to rest while in pursuit of Him too. For as Christ walked, your calling is to follow His very footsteps. Not to the left or right, but to carry your cross as He carried His. This is the way unto salvation.
Even more so, as you shared in His salvation, shall you be a partaker also of His suffering, that you may be qualified unto the inheritance—that which is for the sons of God.
