Wilderness Experience

14 September 2025

By Pastor John Macindoe - Senior Pastor

Have you ever gone through a wilderness experience? No, I’m not talking about bushwalking, but those times in life when you feel like you’ve lost your way; when you’re wandering through an empty wasteland, battling numerous difficulties with no hope of change on the horizon.

Not many of us actively seek out wilderness experiences. They tend to involve pain, isolation and suffering; three things we’d rather avoid. However, God’s Word seems to indicate that our Lord does some of his greatest work using people who have learnt to trust him in the wilderness.

Joseph languished for years in prison before God raised him up to be governor of Egypt under Pharaoh. Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness before God raised him up to lead the Israelites out of slavery. Jesus lived for 30 years in a small, obscure, Galilean town before his ministry began. The apostle Paul spent 3 years in Arabia after his conversion, far from Jerusalem, where all the action was. The Bible contains many examples of people whom God has molded during their seemingly unproductive time in the wilderness (perhaps you can think of others).

Why does God choose to work this way? Perhaps it is only when we find ourselves in a dry and desolate place that we realize that the Lord alone is our strength and our salvation. If you are struggling in the wilderness today, be encouraged. God is at work in your life. Don’t let go. Know that his loving hand is sustaining you. He is conforming you to his likeness. Trust Him.