Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (NIV)
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on brad alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
When the children of Israel were supernaturally delivered out of Egypt, they probably assumed that they were going to quickly move into the Promised Land that God had told Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob about. Generations before they ever experienced Egyptian captivity, Israel had been promised the land of Canaan. They probably weren’t ready for four decades of wilderness living that it took to get them there.
History teaches us that if the people of Israel had been obedient to God, they should have been able to make the trek from Egypt to Canaan in about 11 days. Unfortunately, through their own doubt and disobedience, they extended the trip to a full 40 years. Their rebellion against God led to everyone but Joshua and Caleb dying in the wilderness before they even got to the Promised Land.
In the two verses we just read, God gave Israel the reason for the wilderness. It was to humble them, test them, and teach them about His power. Our wilderness seasons are there for the same reasons. The way that we handle the wilderness seasons can be the difference in dealing with the dry places for 11 days or living in them for 40 years. Whether you’re in the wilderness now, or you’re simply preparing for when the day comes, be sure to apply these four principles of wilderness survival.
Building a Shelter
Psalms 91:4-6 (NIV)
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
According to survival experts, one of the most important parts of surviving in a physical wilderness is finding or creating shelter. Depending on the climate of the wilderness where someone is stranded, their shelter may be needed to protect them from dangerous heat or bitter cold. Rain, wind, and other natural elements further facilitate the need for a shelter.
When we look at wildernesses in the spiritual sense, having shelter is even more important. When we face wilderness experiences in our own lives, we often believe that they are a sign of God’s absence, but that has never been the case. Instead, God is our shelter, even when we are in the wilderness.
The terminology that the psalmist used in this passage reflects a mother bird who keeps her babies close to her. These mother birds will pull their babies in close, hiding them between their wings and their bodies. In the same way, God pulls us in close to Him in our wilderness seasons. His presence is our shelter, protecting us from terror, pestilence, and other attacks.
Build a Fire
Leviticus 6:12-13 (NIV)
The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.
In addition to shelter, fire is one of the most important aspects of surviving in a wilderness situation. When talking about things in the natural realm, fire serves a variety of purpose. Obviously, fire keeps you warm, which is incredibly important when you’re exposed to the elements. Fire is also used to keep predators away. You will also need fire to purify water and prepare food if you find yourself in a wilderness survival situation.
Throughout Scripture, fire is a symbol of God’s presence. During the wilderness journey of the Old Testament, God led His people as a pillar of cloud during the day, and as a pillar of fire during the night. In Acts 2, tongues of fire rested on every person present at the Day of Pentecost. Fire represents God’s presence.
You will never survive the wilderness season that you’re in without the presence of God. Not only does He keep us warm in the coldness of the wilderness, but He also keeps our enemy at bay. He is our purifier, our provider, and everything else that we need.
Finding Water
Psalms 63:1 (NIV)
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
The human body can survive without water for about three days. That number is the maximum in the most ideal situations. If someone is in a wilderness survival experience, they must have water every day. Higher temperatures, more physical exertion, and other factors create an even deeper need for water.
David knew a few things about the wilderness, too. There were multiple occasions in his life in which David ran into the wilderness to get away from enemies. In those times, God supernaturally protected David. However, David’s wildernesses were also spiritual.
In the New Testament, Christ referred to Himself as the “Living Water” John 7:37-39. There are also multiple verses where the Holy Spirit is compared to water. In the same way that the physical body needs water in the wilderness, we need the presence of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit working in us every single day. That’s why David said that he would earnestly seek God, especially when he was in a “dry and parched land” where there was no water.
Securing Food
Matthew 4:4 (NIV)
Jesus answered, “It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
When we opened today’s study, we read Deuteronomy 8:2-3. Thousands of years after God spoke those words to Moses, Christ spoke the same words to Satan when He was dealing with His own wilderness experience.
After Christ had been baptized before the start of His public ministry, the Holy Spirit prompted Jesus to go into the wilderness where He was going to fast and pray. At the end of a 40-day period where He ate nothing, Satan came to tempt Him. The first thing that Satan did was to try to get Him to prove Himself by turning rocks into bread. Instead of taking the bait, Christ spoke about the fact that God’s Word is our true bread. In another Scripture, Christ called Himself the “Bread of Life” (John 6:35).
The final step in surviving the wilderness is to make sure that you have a food source. While the human body can go multiple days without food, it becomes increasingly more difficult to perform even the most basic tasks without nutrients. Spiritually, we need the Word of God every day. It is our bread, it encourages us, and it gives us what we need to get through the day.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I know that there is a purpose for my wilderness season. I realize that You are refining and purifying me throughout this time, but I need Your help. Be my Shelter, be my Fire, be my Water, and be my Bread. I know that You are everything that I need during this season just like You were for Your people in the Bible. In Christ’s name, Amen.