I CHOOSE TO GROW EVEN IN THE DESERT

"Lord, through all generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were created, before you made the earth and the world, you are God, without beginning or end." Psalm 90:1-2

These words come from the chapter titled “A prayer of Moses, the man of God.” This is a description many of us can hope for; “the man of God” or “the woman of God.” Moses knew the Lord so well that he could bear this title. Even while leading in the desert he was confident in the steady omnipresence of God saying that “through all generations you have been our home.” Even before the mountains were created he writes “you are God.”

This season feels like a giant, impossible mountain that has lingered longer than expected, but God is here and always has been. This is our comfort. This is where our confidence is found.

Moses led in the desert which was not the plan. In the beginning, he must have believed he would travel through it and spend the majority of his life leading in the promise land. Traveling through the desert was expected to take days, maybe weeks at worst, not a lifetime. How derailing that must have been to his plans and initial confidence.

Our COVID season is similar to Moses’ desert season. This season has derailed our plans and shaken our confidence, but this season can also cause us to move toward God for peace. We can seek Him until we trust Him and know He is good. We can spend this time leaning into His word and pursuing Him in prayer until we fully believe He is steadfast and sovereign. Even if we are lacking the confidence of Moses and questioning the Lord’s power and presence God is still confident in who He is. He has the answers to satisfy all our questions.

In the desert place Moses prayed "Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom." Psalm 90:12

Moses wanted to grow, not just wait. Proverbs 2:6 says that "all wisdom comes from God” so we can use this desert season as an opportunity to seek the One who can make us wise. We can take our mountain sized questions to Him who is “without beginning or end.” We can seek the Lord for what Isaiah describes as “perfect peace.” This season may be one that is out of our control, but we get to choose how to spend it.

We can choose to grow in wisdom and not fear. We can choose to grow in peace and not anxiety. We can trust the One who made the earth and all that inhabits it. We can have the confidence of Moses so that we too can be described as the “people of God.”

Ashley Wambach, President/Executive Director

Originally posted Oct. 5, 2020