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Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the wilderness
and speak tenderly to her.
Hosea 2:14 (ESV)

The image that comes to mind when I hear the word “wilderness”, is desolate, dry land, uninhabited by life, with no clear path out. It’s not a place I want to be. As widows, we know what being in the wilderness feels like. When our husbands passed away everything beautiful and full of life seemed to have vanished. We no longer see a path to get out. It’s not a place any of us wants to be.

But the truth is…

Scripture teaches us that there is value in being in the wilderness. Although it is often a difficult time in the wilderness and our faith gets challenged, scripture also shows us it is a time of growth and transformation. And most importantly it is a time of building a deeper relationship with God. Here are some verses about the wilderness that may encourage you:

It will lead us to praise Him

Behold, I am doing a new thing:
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
The wild beasts will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
the people whom I formed for myself
that they might declare my praise.
Isaiah 43:19 – 21 (ESV)

He will bring us out of our afflictions

Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Exodus 3:16-18 (ESV)

We will lack nothing

For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand; he has known your walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.
Deuteronomy 2:7 (ESV)

We will remain the apple of His eye

He found him in a desert land,
in the waste howling wilderness.
He surrounded him. He cared for him.
He kept him as the apple of his eye.
Deuteronomy 32:10 (ESV)

God is so faithful!

In every story in scripture about the wilderness, God is there. He provides for His people and leads them to the promised land. That is who He is. He will do the same for you and me.

I entered the wilderness the moment the police officers showed up at my door to tell me my husband had been killed. For the next several years I wandered around in the wilderness completely lost with no idea what my future would look like. But God was always with me. He was teaching me throughout the journey.

• He revealed to me the deep-seated sinfulness in my heart. I hated it but He had to make me aware so I could be freed from it.
• He taught me in a new way how to walk in the Spirit. The Spirit led me and enabled me to forgive the man who had murdered my husband. I could have never done that in my own strength.
• He showed me that His love never fails. On my good days and my bad days, when I had strength and when I couldn’t even lift my head, He loved me—always and completely.
• He revealed to me a greater purpose than I had ever imagined, gently ushering me into a new way to glorify Him.

The beauty of the wilderness is we get to be with God! Without distractions, without condemnation. We grow closer than we have ever been before.

Dear Heavenly Father, You are so faithful! Thank You for always being with us and for leading us through the wilderness to the promised land. We love You, but please help us to love You more. Thank You for loving us always—beyond what we can comprehend or imagine. Please mold us into Christ’s image for Your Glory! Amen.