December 1, 2021 "Wilderness Waiting"

I suppose the author of this devotional knows the derivation of the word for wilderness (although she doesn't say that) but it seems that going into the wilderness is indeed moving away from the stimuli of the world and all the distractions swirling around us into an unknown place where new and unique insights may be found, I haven't been able to see wilderness as anything but away from all the noise and OK because God is taking you there.

While I know there are times we find ourselves in a wilderness, whether of our own making or not, I hadn't thought about "allowing God to LEAD ME INTO the wilderness" like it is something to seek out. Why would I choose something like that?

And yet, Jesus chose the wilderness in the forty days before his ministry. So maybe there is something to it after all. Maybe there we can be brought low enough to truly understand God's love and God's call.

I read the scripture for today's devotion from The Message and felt uplifted by all the promises. God is going to come to His people and make everything right! Yay, God! Bring it on!

Following that, I read the devotional book entry, and, at first, I felt a disconnect from the recommended scripture. The booklet mentions the call for us to go, albeit unwillingly, outside of our comfort zones into a place of desolation, a place in which we cannot depend on self-reliance. There, we will likely call out for help, and God may surprise us with words of comfort.

After some thought, I believe that the connection between the verses and the booklet is that during our times of darkness, we can look to the words from Isaiah and apply those promises to ourselves.

But, I'm not positive I have that connection correct. Would that interpretation be taking the promises out of context? God offered them to the prophet Isaiah in reference to the Israelites. Can we rightly claim those promises to apply to our society today? Or, are we supposed to embrace only the general concept that God will meet us in whatever "wilderness" we may find ourselves?

I also wonder if anyone else is hoping that there could be an easier way. If I humble myself before God now and admit my need for Him, could I skip the desolation and wilderness and go directly to the promises and comfort? (Maybe I should have read the booklet before the verses for this day.)

I'm feeling really off base in my response, but I'm being honest. I'm eager to hear what others think.