Parallel Desert Roads

Deuteronomy 2:7
The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years, the LORD your God has been with you and you have not lacked anything.

I sent that verse to a friend. Her husband is out of work and she (a stay-at-home mom) had to go back to work to help supplement till he finds a job. Its been a hard transition. I had some lovely flowery things to add to the end of that verse to encourage her.

But let me be real here for a minute. I needed those words more than she did. I needed to BELIEVE those words. I needed the TRUTH of God's WORD to permeate my heart and mind and change my way of thinking. Because this desert I'm in has been LONG and it feels like its been forty stinkin' years since my husband's had a job. Since we've been able to financially breathe. Since I've not had to wonder how we're going to make it. Those are my desires, my wants.

But what is the truth? The truth is, God has blessed ALL the work of my hand. We are still prospering even with out a job. By His grace, to His glory. The truth is, He has been watching over this journey, making sure its not too much, not too long...but exactly what He needs to fulfill His plans for me. These fourteen months, or forty years or whatever the time may be, He has been with me. Whether I have realized it or not. And He has not let me lack anything. ANYTHING. If I didn't get something I wanted, it was because I wasn't lacking it.

We give the Israelites such a hard time because - "How could they EVER want to go back to Egypt!?! How stupid and crazy are they!?!?" Sorry, S-T-U-P-I-D; I forgot we don't say that word. But you know what I think? I think they just wanted their "normal" back. Their "new normal" of desert wandering was chafing their yoked necks and they just wanted what was familiar. I can totally relate to that. Can you?

What is your desert road? How are you doing on it? Has it been forty years of wandering? Or maybe just seems like it? Will you share your story? You know, it seems to me we are all on parallel desert roads. Let's encourage each other while we're waiting to hear the Lord say, "You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north." (Deut 2:3)

Blessings fellow sojourners....