Trusting God in the Wilderness
We don’t usually choose the wilderness. It finds us.
It comes through an unwanted diagnosis, a broken marriage, long-term unemployment, or depression that makes every day feel like a battle. Life feels dry. You feel stuck, overwhelmed. And God can feel distant.
But the wilderness isn’t random, and it’s not a mistake. God often uses these dry, painful seasons to train our hearts, reveal our need, and teach us to trust Him when nothing else makes sense.
Deuteronomy 8:2 “You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness… that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart…”
Just like He did with Israel, God still leads people into the wilderness today—not to punish us, but to help us see that He’s our true and constant provider.
God lets us feel our need, not to shame us, but to show us His active care and provision for our lives.
Even though we have grocery stores and Amazon, He is the One who supplies all our needs. He lets us feel our need, not to shame us, but to show us His active care and provision for our lives.
The Gift of Empty Hands
Sometimes the most loving thing God can do is let us come to the end of ourselves. It’s not cruel—it’s love. When everything else is taken away—when we can’t control, can’t fix, can’t provide for ourselves, can’t protect loved ones—there’s one gift left: dependence.
And more than weakness, it’s wisdom!
Dependence isn’t the opposite of maturity—it’s the essence of maturity.
Dependence isn’t the opposite of maturity—it’s the essence of maturity.
We don’t grow by becoming more self-reliant. We grow when we see how much we need God and how faithful He is.
Deuteronomy 8:3 “He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna… that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but… by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.”
God uses lean seasons to deepen our faith, quiet our pride, and teach us how to rely on Him.
When You’re in the Wilderness
Life keeps reminding us that this world groans every day because of sin.
When you are overwhelmed by things that bring you to your knees, feeling powerless, and not understanding why they can happen— that’s your wilderness. Maybe you’re in a wilderness season right now:
—A long season of unemployment.
—A health crisis that stripped away your strength and abilities.
—Broken promises, crushed dreams, abandonment, leave you alone.
—Money problems that make you feel trapped.
These seasons are hard. But Deuteronomy 8 shows us that God uses these. He humbles us to heal us. He allows us to feel vulnerable, not to shame us, but to remind us that He alone is our source and strength.
Deuteronomy 8:4 Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.
The Israelites had it hard, but God was there. He miraculously supplied manna. He miraculously cared for their needs.
They complained. But they could look back later and say, “God was so good to us. He sustained us.” Even their sandals didn’t wear out. Even their feet held up.
Can you look back on your wilderness season, when you were desperate and things were falling apart—but somehow, you had what you needed? That’s your manna. That is God’s grace.
Can you look back on your wilderness season, when you were desperate and things were falling apart—but somehow, you had what you needed? That’s your manna. That is God’s grace.
Don’t Try Harder. Just Remember.
The wilderness, while part of the journey, is not forever.
If you’re weary today, don’t rush to fix it or perform your way out of it. Instead, lift your eyes to the LORD, who is always there, the only One who can ultimately meet it. Remember who God is. Remember what He’s done. Remember His promises. And remember how He loves you.
The best place to start remembering is at the cross. That’s where Jesus endured His own wilderness—forsaken, famished, and pierced—so that we would never be alone in ours.