Sunday message, journey, wilderness, Deuteronomy 8:2

1. Journey through the Wilderness

2. It took forty years, eleven months and one day for Israel to
complete an eleven days’ journey (Duet 1: 2-3)

3. This was a journey through the wilderness

5. Why does God allow us to go through the wilderness?
Through periods of stress and isolation.
Through periods of difficulty and loneliness.

7. Humility: Letting God be in control
In a wilderness situation, who but God can provide for
our needs, protect us from our enemies and deal with our
impossible situations?
–Food : manna (Exodus 16:35)
–Drink: from a rock (Exodus 17:6)
–Enemies: God defeats them (Exodus 3:8)
–Sickness: God heals them (Numbers 21:9)
–Obstacles: parting of the Red sea (Exodus 13:18)
–Trails: God delivers (Exodus, Numbers)
–Weaknesses: God helps us overcome (Exodus 4: 10-11)
We realize that it is not our abilities and resources but
God’s strength and providence we must rely on.

11. What is in our heart: Getting our
motives, intents and purposes right
• Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find
me, when ye shall search for me with all your
heart.
• Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and
powerful…..and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart.
• Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for
they shall see God.

12. Obedience: accepting and enjoying
God’s will and grand plan
1 Samuel 15:22 Behold,
to obey is better than
sacrifice.

14. The Wilderness
• Is a time for making us know God is in control
• Is a period to mould and prepare us for His work
• Is a way to clear our motives, intents and purposes
• Is a method to make us accept and enjoy God’s will

15. The wilderness
experience will help
us be a blessing to
others and the next
generation.

16. Final words
Deuteronomy 8: 5 Keep in mind this
thought, that as a son is trained by his
father, so you have been trained by the Lord
your God.
6 Then keep the orders of the Lord your
God, fearing him and walking in his ways.

17. Blessings
7 For the Lord your God is guiding you into a
good land, a land of water-springs, of
fountains, and deep streams flowing out from
the valleys and the hills;
8 A land of grain and vines and fig-trees and fair
fruits; a land of oil-giving olive-trees and
honey

18. Blessings: Laura Story
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we have faith to believe

19. ‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise