![]() When we go through the wilderness experience some choose to renounce the outside world, and others retreat into some spiritual, emotional or psychological cave, and cut themselves off from all normal social interaction and engagement in daily life. In the wild-erness we are not being punished - we are being tested, and our faith is being strengthened. Spiritual dryness, or the wilderness experience, is God’s way of getting us to exercise our faith even when there is little feedback or affirmation or emotional joy. David wrote a number of psalms that speak to the hearts of fellow believers when they are experiencing spiritual dryness. King David was no stranger to wilderness experiences (Ps 28:1-2 Ps 38:9-10), and though he sinned like you and me, yet he was “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam 13:13-14 16:7,13 Ps 51:10,17 139:23 Acts 13:22). ![]() Why, you ask? Our first thought usually is that it was caused by some sin… but sin is not the reason God sends us into the wilderness. All true saints go through a wilderness experienced in their life some more than others. There is not much solace in a wilderness experience, but it should bring some comfort to us to realize that every believer is subjected to such encounters. It is a time when we feel alone, deserted, and dying of spiritual thirst in the midst of a debilitating spiritual draught. It can take the form of depression… a crisis of faith… or one or more traumatic life events, of which the list is endless. No believer can fully avoid the wilderness experience - it is the path we must all travel. As a result of the Devil’s work in the wilderness, many Christians not only question their faith, but God as well - they commonly think that God has forgotten or abandoned them… that all of their past efforts have been nothing but a waste… that they are simply too unspiritual and unlovable… that if God exists at all, He is a cruel, fickle monster… and that maybe this thing called Christianity is nothing but a myth. ![]() Screwtape grumbles - “ He has given Himself every natural advantage, and He’ll take anyone, on any terms! He must be thwarted at every move!” So Screwtape instructs his junior demons to try every means possible to win “the subject” back again for damnation. Lewis describes the timeless dominion of hell in his book The Screwtape Letters - it is there where Satan’s senior assistant Screwtape strategizes on how to recapture those who are in danger of slipping from his grip, and who are at risk of forever belonging to Satan’s Enemy (Christ). The British novelist Sheila Skillman reminds us that as soon as someone reaches a spiritual high Satan takes an interest in him. ![]() In a spiritual wilderness God feels far away, distant, absent, and unresponsive… faith feels doubtful or uncertain… we feel alone, vulnerable, lost, and unpro-tected… there is the fear of hopelessness and the unknown… and it’s the place where Satan resides. The wilderness is where water is scarce… where a traveler walks alone in the heat and the cold without shade or protection… and where wild animals live. Conversely it describes times of distress, doubt, and alienation from God with the imagery of a desert or wilderness. Scripture often depicts the experience of God’s presence or blessing with the imagery of water - streams, oases and rivers (Ps 1:3 92:12-14 Jer 17:8). Printable pdf Version of this Study Anyone who travels the “spiritual path” of sanctification (being conformed to the image of Christ) will ultimately discover something known as the “ wilderness experience.” What exactly is it? And why does it happen to those who are faithful to God and who try to live their lives in harmony with His will? The Bible frequently addresses this issue. ![]()
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