Manchaca UMC

The Wilderness is a place of preparation.  

Most of us are aware that God took the freed Hebrew slaves to the Promised Land by way of the wilderness. The trip from Egypt to Canaan was normally an eleven day journey but it took forty years! Why the long route? One could argue that this forty year wandering was a result of the rebellion and faithlessness displayed in Numbers 14 by their refusal to go possess the Promised Land after the spies reported on the strength of its inhabitants. God indeed said that of that generation only Joshua and Caleb would live to see the land. But we could also argue that the faithlessness and fear shown by the people proved that they were not ready to possess the land because that would require trust and courage. This leads me to suggest that often our wilderness experiences which seem like punishment may actually serve as a time of preparation for the future. Jesus was not sent into the wilderness as a punishment. His forty day period of testing was both prelude and preparation for his earthly ministry to come.

Some say that the COVID 19 virus is punishment for our abuse of the planet that allowed the virus to “jump species.” Others argue that it is the fault of a foreign nation or the ineptitude of our own country’s response. Therefore, they place blame and seek punishment. My belief is that, at this stage, it is better to focus on preparation rather than on punishment. This is a time to seek wisdom rather than to assess blame. Like Joshua and Jesus, we can use this inconvenient time of wilderness to prepare for whatever the future may hold. For me, this preparation involves listening to God and others (especially those affected by COVID or racism), scripture study and self improvement through reading and listening to lectures.

I am reminded of Gettysburg hero Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s words at the time his troops were on the way to Pennsylvania, “We cannot know the future or even plan for it very much.... but we can determine the kind of men (sic) we will be when the future arrives.” Let us determine to be better people post pandemic than we were before the pandemic. This wilderness time is giving us a rare opportunity.