God Uses the Wilderness to Humble and Test Your Faith

Sometimes we go through things in life and immediately blame the devil. We face difficulties, we experience lack, and we wonder why God is allowing certain things to happen. But I want you to understand something. Not every difficult season means the devil is responsible.

Sometimes God is taking you through the wilderness because He wants to teach you something. He wants to humble you, test your heart, and bring you into a deeper knowledge of who He is.

That is what I want you to see in Deuteronomy 8:2. God led the children of Israel through the wilderness for forty years. It was not without purpose. God was doing something in their hearts.

Why Does God Take Us Through the Wilderness?

God takes us through the wilderness to humble us, test our hearts, and teach us to know Him.

Look at what happened to the children of Israel. God delivered them out of Egypt, but where did He take them? Into the wilderness. And why did He take them there?

He wanted to get Egypt out of them.

Now, let me tell you what I mean. God brought them out of a place they had known for years, but there were still things inside them that needed to change. They had to learn who God was and what it meant to depend upon Him.

Some of us have things we learned years ago. Things our parents taught us. Things we learned growing up, even things we learned in church. And sometimes God has to take us through a wilderness experience to get those things out of us.

That is why Deuteronomy 8:2 speaks about God leading Israel for forty years to humble them and test what was in their hearts.

Mark that word: humble.

God was not simply moving Israel from one location to another. He was working on their hearts so they could know Him.

How Does God Test Our Faith in Difficult Times?

God tests our faith by allowing us to face difficulties that reveal whether we will trust Him and obey His Word.

The children of Israel went through times when they needed food. They went through times when they needed water. They experienced difficulties that made them question what was happening.

But God was with them through it all.

In Deuteronomy 8:3, we learn that God allowed them to experience hunger and then fed them with manna. This was food they had never known before.

The word manna means, "What is this?"

Can you imagine that? God was providing for them, and they were looking at what He gave them and asking what it was.

Sometimes we do the same thing with God's Word. We read what God says, but instead of receiving it, we question it.

I want you to understand that God's Word is powerful. Whatever God says, He is able to perform.

The wilderness teaches us to stop depending entirely on what we can see and begin trusting what God has spoken.

What Does the Wilderness Teach Us About Obedience?

The wilderness teaches us that obedience means following God's commandments even when we do not understand everything He is doing.

In Deuteronomy 8:1, God instructed Israel to carefully observe His commandments so they could live, multiply, and possess the land He had promised.

Notice that obedience came before possessing the land.

God wanted them to understand that He was their God. He was the one leading them. He was the one providing for them.

And I want you to know something. God loves obedience. He loves faithfulness.

Sometimes we act as though God is supposed to serve us however we want. But God is God. We are the ones who must learn to surrender to Him.

When you are going through something difficult, instead of blaming everything on the devil, ask God what He wants you to do.

That is surrender. You are acknowledging that He is God and allowing Him to lead you.

Why Must We Depend on God's Word in the Wilderness?

We must depend on God's Word because physical provision alone cannot give us everything we need to live according to His purpose.

Jesus demonstrated this when He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness in Luke 4:1.

He fasted for forty days and faced temptation from the devil. When the devil challenged Him to turn a stone into bread, Jesus answered with Scripture.

In Luke 4:4, Jesus declared, "Man shall not live by bread alone."

That is the same lesson God was teaching Israel through the manna.

It was not simply about having something to eat. God wanted His people to recognize their dependence upon His Word.

And here is what I want you to remember. God never leads you out of something without leading you into something.

In Deuteronomy 8:7, God described the good land He was bringing Israel into, a land with water, fountains, springs, and abundance.

The wilderness was not their destination.

So whatever you are going through, do not lose sight of God. Let Him humble you. Let His Word examine your heart. Learn to obey Him.

Stop looking only at the difficulty and begin asking what God wants you to learn.

He is leading you somewhere. And as you surrender to Him, you are learning to know the God who has been with you all along.