Chosen Grace

Hi everyone! As we end July, I want us to take heed to this important lesson. Check it out below.

The other day as I was sitting on the bus, coming back from a field trip I was having a conversation with one of the the kids from the primary group. For this post today, I’ll call him Terry.

Terry, a seven year old, was talking to me about how he loves boats and he saved up for a small, remote controlled boat. I watched as his face lit up as he explained how he put it on the water.

“Ms. Malaysia, I put it on the water and I thought I could put my remote in there too. But I learned you can’t do that because my remote got messed up and now I need more batteries. I thought I needed a new remote but I guess not.” Terry rambled.

I nodded to let him know that I was listening. And while I was interested in his knowledge of remote controlled boats, I was more interested in how he was able to decipher the lesson that he’d learned.

As I pondered on this concept, the Lord began to speak to me about my own life and how it’s important to learn lessons a God gives them. As I sat with this concept, He led me to the account of the Israelites in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. Let’s read below:

“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.”

– Exodus 13: 17-18, NIV

You see, when God first delivered His people He knew that their hearts were not ready to enter into the promised land immediately. Due to this fact, He decided to take them the long way. And this is how we get introduced to their wilderness season.

While we may not be in a physical wilderness season like the Israelites, there are times where God requires for us to enter into a spiritual wilderness. More often than not, this is a season of waiting. This season is long, tumultuous, and can seem never ending.

I am currently in a wilderness season and when I first entered it- I had all of the emotions (sadness, anger, anxiety). I felt like nothing was going right.

But, the Lord assured me that there is a purpose for the wilderness. Just as He knew the hearts of the Israelites hearts and how they would react to certain things, the Lord surely understands this with us as He does not look at the outward appearance but at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7).

Yet, while this season is destined to prepare us for what God has for us, there are times where we – in our human state – neglect this idea:

“The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.  The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

– Exodus 16:1-3, NIV

In the passage above, Moses writes that the Israelites complained and grumbled. They neglected to remember the goodness of what the Lord had already done for them (gave powerful signs and plagues) and focused on what was in front of them (hunger). This was the first account of many complaints they made against the Lord and in return- they turned an 11 day journey into 40 years.

Whew, that’s a long time.

And while it’s easy for us to throw shade and talk our own junk about the Israelites, I’ll be the first to admit that I can be a lot like them!

There have been times in my current wilderness season that I have complained, whined, and downright stomped my feet. Why? Because like the Israelites I was so focused on what I did not have that I completely neglected what God was doing right in front of my eyes.

And maybe you reading this has had a similar experience. Maybe God has called you into a wilderness season and you are having a hard time understanding why. I get it- not understanding why or what God is doing can be hard.

But, there is some encouragement for us down below:

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?  If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.  Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!  They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

-Hebrews 12:7-11, NIV

I love the book of Hebrews. And these verses especially are dear to me!

You see, the writer of Hebrews emphasizes that the wilderness season is one of learning and growing. More importantly, God disciplines us in this season. John 15 explains that He purges us so that we can produce more fruit.

What I love about these verses though is that we can see God’s love as a Father. Because He is our Abba (Romans 8), He has the right to discipline us as He sees fit.

Even if He decides to strip away things we love or lead us through a hard season- it is out of His all encompassing love for us.

As I have adjusted to my own wilderness season, I have learned to embrace how He disciplines me. I’m more careful to thank Him for the season of wait instead of complaining because I know understand that God is allowing this out of His love for me.

And it is the same for you.

As I close this blog post, I want to encourage you all to take heed to the lessons God is giving you in any season, but especially during the wilderness season. Yes, it’s not fun but it is producing good fruit!

Even Jesus was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4, Luke 4). But by God’s grace He was able to overcome. And by His stripes- we too can overcome!

As the Scripture above says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”:

Abba’s discipline is in fact good. But what is amazing is that God’s discipline renews our minds and corrects our heart posture. Only then will we see a harvest- and a heart to match!

With a new love for lessons,

Malaysia 🙂