Trials and Pain: The Back Side of the Desert

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. --Exodus 3:1 We should quickly review here the kinds of preparation Moses had gone through for his leadership role under God. Reared in Pharaoh's palace, he had been educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He had the prerequisites for almost any kind of career. In our day a man with his qualifications would be sought for election as a bishop or the president of any of the great church denominations. Then, too, Moses had a most unusual but highly effective postgraduate course. God took him out of the activity and the noise of Egypt and placed him in the silence of the open spaces. He kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law. Tending the sheep, he learned lessons of meditation and observation that he could only have learned in the silence. Probably more important than anything else, Moses learned to know himself. That knowledge was a part of God's preparation of the man for his future tasks. We, today, know everything but ourselves. We never really come to know ourselves because we cannot get quiet enough. Men Who Met God, p. 70 "Lord, I pray this morning for the hurting pastor who is languishing in 'the silence of the open spaces,' on the back side of the desert. Encourage him; instruct him; then show Him how You can use him mightily in Your way and in Your time. Amen." By A. W. Tozer; Men Who Met God, p. 70 In Christ, John One of the things that I used to do was to drive out into the desert so that I could be alone, away from all the noises and interruptions of the town. I would use this time to read the Word, meditate on it, pray and spend time alone with God. No cell phones, computers or pagers. I was totally alone and it was great. I have gotten out of the habit of doing that and I dearly miss it. I cherished those moments because I could be totally open to express myself as I wanted to. I could cry out to God or sit in silence and wait for Him to speak to me. I learned a lot about myself during these times. I earned that I am not a real people person. I am more of a loner, but God has ordained that I be a under shepherd of his flock. This meant that I had to develop people skills that I had greatly ignored for most of my life. When God called me to be a pastor, He totally changed my perspective. I could no longer be self-centered because I now had to focus on the needs of others. God tendered my heart as He changed me from a opinionated, obstinate loner to an opinionated, obstinate but caring person. I learned these things when I took time to be alone with God. I urge each of you (especially those in leadership roles) to take time to be alone with God. Let Him reveal to you who you are in Him. Let Him reveal His purpose for your life. You may not be able to find a place in the desert but you can get away into the country or the mountains. The important thing is that you find a place where you are totally alone. Then you will be free to focus on God and you will be more able to hear Him when He speaks to you. You too will find those moments to be cherished. In Christ, John