Where There is No Way

Today's Verse:

He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way. ~Psalm 107:40 

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What comes to your mind when you hear the word "wilderness"? For me, I have foreboding thoughts of barrenness, uncharted territory, wild animals, and a place where you can die for lack of supplies and resources. The psalmist described it as a place where there is no way. The wilderness is not a place that you would choose for an adventurous vacation. No, the wilderness is a place where there is no way. Let us look at some lessons about the wilderness. 

There is the desolation in the wilderness. 

The wilderness referred to in the Bible was the hot, arid, sandy desert plains. In Psalm 107, we see some vivid descriptions of the wilderness. It is a place where there was little to no water. It was a barren area devoid of lush plant life except for cacti and other water resistant plants. It was a place of harsh weather. There would be hot days. There would be very cold nights. There would be blinding sandstorms. There would be venomous snakes, reptiles, and scorpions. It was a place that was extremely dry. It was a desolate place where the risk of death from exposure to the elements and a lack of food and water was extremely high. It pictures a spiritual life that has not been in the presence of God: barren, dry, and withering away. 

There are the detours in the wilderness. 

There are no marked paths or designated landmarks in the wilderness. It is a place where there is no way. Those who go deep into the wilderness will find themselves going from detour to detour. They find themselves going in circles. People lost in the wilderness are just wandering. They go from one spot to another but get nowhere. When we backslide and get too embedded in the world or in sin, we, too, are wandering in the wilderness. We lose our way. We find ourselves walking but going nowhere. We get turned around and just go in circles. You think you are going in the right direction, but you realize you are wandering. 

There is the discipline in the wilderness. 

The wilderness is a place of God’s chastening and discipline. God made Israel to wander in the wilderness for 40 years because they despised God’s command to enter Kadesh-barnea. Instead of enjoying the spiritual inheritance God wanted them to have, they wandered for 40 years. There was undue delay in getting to the Promised Land. There were the deaths of those who were rebellious. All the adults over the age of twenty, except for Joshua and Caleb, died in the wilderness. The discipline of the wilderness is God setting us back in our goals and desires until we realize we cannot accomplish anything without Him. 

There is deliverance from the wilderness. 

Instead of being in the place where there is no way, we can be in the place where the path of the just shineth more and more unto the perfect day. First, decide to walk by faith and not by sight. Second, trust God for every step of your journey. We only need enough light for the next step. Third, repent of all unconfessed sins and start your pathway out of the wilderness. Fourth, live under the providence of God. A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps (Proverbs 16:9). Fifth, stay in God’s will for your life to avoid wandering to a place where there is no way. The wilderness is no way to go. Don’t let the world or sinful indulgences take you into the wilderness.  

Have a directed God Morning! 

Reading Schedule: Jeremiah 18-22

#Psalm #Backsliding #Wilderness