My wife and I were watching a television show we like, and there was an episode where a man had gone blind and become a famous photographer. Yes, in that order. He walked the city streets, guided by sound and scent, snapping images as he went. What he didn't realize was that his assistant followed him from a safe distance to make sure nothing happened to him, that he didn't get hurt or lost.
The idea made me think of parents I've seen who have known it was time to let their child do some activity on their own. It's one of the stages of preparation for leaving the nest. Can little Johnny ride his bicycle to school all by himself? The parent says yes, and gives a wave as the child pedals away. Then mom and or dad run to the car, or grab their own bike, or just walk the route on foot, making sure the child doesn't run into any trouble and arrives safely. The child feels big and grown up, but the parents are still there, watching and protecting.
We are not to stay babies in Christ. We will never become "grown" to the point of independence from our Heavenly Daddy, but we are to grow and mature. What God calls us to always has periods where the road is rough and difficult to travel, where there is a lot of resistance that comes against us as we walk in what God has called us. So as preparation to help strengthen our commitment and bolster our faith, God sends us to the wilderness first, a dry place of lack where we can't feel the presence of God and the blessings in our life are hidden. The Father didn't even spare Jesus this. Before His ministry really went into full swing, Jesus was driven into the desert to be tempted.
He wasn't alone. We all have and will have times of dryness and feeling distant from God when it's not because of our walk. Not one of those times where we know, if we're honest with ourselves, that we've moved away and created distance between us and Daddy, but rather a time when we've spent hours, days, maybe even weeks seeking Him, crying out to Him, wondering where He's at. The giants in the land are threatening to make bread from our bones, the crops are failing from drought, and the wolves have scattered the flocks. We feel alone and threatened without help and without resources. "Where are you God?" We ask. Instead of "I sought the Lord and He heard me," we feel like screaming that we sought the Lord and He was no where to be found.
Periods like that happen, and they're not always about us being in the wrong or out of position or not having faith. Jesus said that if we seek Him we will find Him, but He also said the Kingdom of Heaven (a place where the people of God are under the authority and protection of and aware of the presence of the King) is like a woman who loses a coin and lights a lamp, sweeps floors and moves furniture until she finds it. If we seek we find, but it's not a promise of instant gratification and seeking doesn't mean to glance. Sometimes God sends us through the wilderness to teach us to have faith in what and who we know and to prepare us for what is to come. But don't worry. Don't be afraid. It's just part of growing up, but the big secret the enemy doesn't want you to know is that Daddy is right there watching to make sure we're ok and that we arrive safely to the oasis where He plans to refresh us in the living water of awareness of His presence.
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