Where the Wilderness is.

Do you ever feel like you are in the wilderness?

I do.

I’m here to remind you momma, that in the story of faith, the wilderness is never a place of abandonment. It is a sacred space of preparation, shaping, and molding.

The Wilderness is God's Training Ground.

When we think of the Bible, the wilderness is where all the most profound transformation occurs. God doesn't call people to ministry from the comfort of a palace; He calls them out into the desert heat to strip away the unnecessary and forge the essential.

Consider these incredible figures:

• Elijah: After his great victory on Mount Carmel, he was chased into the wilderness, where he was so defeated he prayed to die (1 Kings 19:4). But it was there, under a broom tree, that God ministered to him, sustained him, and spoke to him not in the wind, fire, or earthquake, but in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:11-12). His wilderness was a place of spiritual and physical renewal before his next assignment.

• John the Baptist: He was literally in the wilderness of Judea, eating locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:1-4), before he began his ministry to prepare the way for the Lord. His solitary preparation was the very thing that qualified him to be the voice God used to introduce the Messiah.

• Jesus: Even our Lord and Savior began His ministry with a 40-day wilderness experience. He was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted and tested by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). One of the reasons Jesus can relate to us as Human is because he was tempted just like we are, He however, did not give into temptation. This is why He could die in our place, as sinless and blameless before God. It was through this trial that He proved His unwavering faith and dependence on the Word of God, establishing the foundation of His earthly work.

  
  

Your current wilderness—whether it's the isolating demands of a newborn, the battles of a strong-willed toddler, or the emotional conversations you have while raising teenagers—is your God-appointed training ground.

This is where God is not only caring for you, but He is humbling you, testing you, and teaching you to depend on His Word alone.

The Wilderness is a Journey to the Promise

Perhaps the most famous wilderness journey belongs to the Israelites. They spent 40 years wandering after escaping slavery in Egypt (Joshua 5:6). Why? The Bible tells us God led them through the desert to "humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands" (Deuteronomy 8:2).

That long, hard trek was necessary to transform a generation of slaves into a generation of warriors who understood obedience and dependence on their God.

And what happened right after the wilderness?

They went straight into battle.

The very first city they conquered in the Promised Land was Jericho, a seemingly impenetrable fortress. This battle wasn't won by military might, but by faith and obedience to God's strange commands (Joshua 6:1-20). They went from the shaping of the wilderness to the fighting for the promise, and the walls came a tumbling down.

You Are Fighting for the Promise Land

Mama, you may feel like you are wandering, changing diapers, managing meltdowns, and folding laundry in a ceaseless, desolate cycle. But your work is not wandering—it is preparation, and the Lord is with you. Just like the Israelites“clothes did not wear out on you, nor did your feet swell these forty years." (Deuteronomy 8:4) the Lord never left them, and he hasn’t left you.

You are being shaped into exactly who your family needs.

In your exhaustion, you are learning to lean on the gentle whisper of God. In the testing of your patience, you are proving what is truly in your heart. You are coming to the end of your own strength so that you can rely on His.

And this wilderness of motherhood is not the final destination. You are building a legacy, and you are fighting for the ultimate Promised Land: eternal life in Christ.

Every faithful step, every patient response, every prayer whispered over a sleeping child is a step toward that ultimate inheritance. You are literally making a way for Jesus in the life of your kids. Like the voice crying out in the desert, you are clearing the path for their hearts to know the Lord:

“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’” (Isaiah 40:3)

Take heart, wondering traveler. Your wilderness is not a mistake. It is a masterpiece in progress. Endure the training, cling to the whispered promises, and know that you are being prepared for a great victory in the lives of your children. So, warm that bottle, ready that bedtime story and have that conversation with your teen, because you are doing Kingdom work in the wilderness.