Surviving Dry Places
But He answered and said, "It is written, Man Shall not live
by bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the
mouth of God ". Matthew 4:4
What does Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4 have in common
What does Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4 have in common
outside of them being almost identical in wording? Of course,
they are both found in the Bible. The answer is: They were
both spoken in a wilderness or a dry place. Moses and Jesus
both were concluding extended stays in a wilderness and came
to the same conclusion. Their conclusion was: "Man does not
live by bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of
the mouth of God."
You may have never spent any period of time in an actual
wilderness. However, at some point in your life you will
find yourselves in some very dry places. Your dry place might
be emotional, financial, physical, spiritual, relational or
some other form of deficiency or you have in your life. Each
person's wilderness is just as real as the other's. These dry
places and times in our lives are not designed to kill or stop
us, but to grow us in our relationship and understanding of God.
They are places of decision and learning where the flesh is
tried and our spiritual man (or woman) is matured
The wilderness is not always a bad place. The purpose for the
wilderness in our lives is three fold. These purposes are to:
(1) try us - physically, mentally and spiritually, (2) reveal
ourselves to ourselves, (3) bring us to a place of total
surrender to God. We must come to a place where we no longer
seek fulfillment, meaning and sufficiency in others or our own
efforts - but in God. Until we learn to trust God's Word in
every situation we cannot enjoy the promises He has spoken
over our lives.
I don't know what your particular wilderness is, but I can tell
you that the test and the lesson is the same. God does not
deny that you have needs. However, He does say that your primary
means of meeting these needs should be found within His Word.
If you are currently in a "dry place" in your life ask yourself,
"What is it that God is trying to teach me here?" "Have I been
depending on His Word or something or someone else?" The answer
to these questions may determine how long you'll be there. The
children of Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness before they
entered into their promise because they continually failed the
test. Jesus passed His test the first time and left His
wilderness experience in 40 days. The way to shorten your time
in these dry places of life is to learn the lessons taught
while there.
