Desert place 在旷野中
Dexu Xia
The Lord . . . has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. Deuteronomy 2:7
When I was a young believer, I thought “mountaintop” experiences were where I would meet Jesus. But those highs rarely lasted or led to growth. Author Lina AbuJamra says it’s in the desert places where we meet God and grow. In her Bible study Through the Desert, she writes, “God’s aim is to use the desert places in our lives to make us stronger.” She continues, “God’s goodness is meant to be received in the midst of your pain, not proven by the absence of pain.”
It’s in the hard places of sorrow, loss, and pain that God helps us to grow in our faith and become closer to Him. As Lina learned, “The desert is not an oversight in God’s plan but an integral part of [our] growth process.”
God led many Old Testament patriarchs to the desert. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all had wilderness experiences. It was in the desert that God prepared Moses’ heart and called him to lead His people out of slavery (Exodus 3:1-2, 9-10). And it was in the desert that God “watched over [the Israelites’] journey” for forty years with His help and guidance (Deuteronomy 2:7).
God was with Moses and the Israelites each step of their way through the desert, and He’s with you and me in ours. In the desert, we learn to rely on God. There He meets us—and there we grow. By: Alyson Kieda
When has God met you in a desert place? What happened as a result?
Dear God, thank You for being with me in the difficult desert experiences of my life. You’re faithful and compassionate.
上帝⋯⋯看顾你走过这辽阔旷野的每一步。—申命记2章7节，
当我刚信主的时候，我以为登上属灵的高峰就会遇见耶稣。但这高峰往往不能持久，也不会使我的属灵生命成长。美国作家莉娜·阿布贾姆拉（Lina AbuJamra）说，我们往往会在旷野遇见上帝并且成长。她在所着的一本研经书籍（Through the Desert）中写道：“上帝的目的是要用我们生命中的旷野，使我们变得更坚强。上帝不是要用免除苦难来证明祂的良善，祂的良善就是要在痛苦中才能体会到。”
正是在悲伤、失落和痛苦的艰难处境中，上帝会帮助我们信心成长，并且与祂更亲近。正如莉娜领悟到，旷野不是上帝的计划出现失误，而是在成长的过程中不可或缺的一部分。
许多旧约人物都曾被上帝带到旷野，例如亚伯拉罕、以撒和雅各都有身处旷野的经历。正是在旷野中，上帝使摩西经受磨练，并呼召他带领上帝的子民脱离奴役（出埃及记3章1-2、9-10节）。也正是在旷野中，上帝看顾以色列人长达四十年，给予他们帮助和引导（申命记2章7节）。
摩西和以色列人在旷野行走的每一步，上帝都与他们同在。同样地，在我们的人生旷野中，祂也与你我同在。我们在旷野学习倚靠上帝，祂会在那里与我们相遇，我们也在那里有所成长。作者： 柯爱莉
上帝何时曾在你所处的旷野与你相遇？
结果如何呢？
亲爱的上帝，祢既信实又满有怜悯，
感谢祢在我身陷人生中艰难的旷野时与我同在