Article March 4, 2019 Issue

Transform your wilderness

Martine Blackler

Forty years—that’s a long time to travel less than three hundred miles. But it’s the time the children of Israel spent in the wilderness of Sinai after their Exodus from Egypt. Why did it take them so long to find the Promised Land?

A close look at the biblical account gives us some clues. Throughout the journey, the Israelites continually complained about their hardships. And instead of worshiping the God who had delivered them from slavery, they made an image of another god (see Exodus 32:1–6) even though there had been plenty of proofs of God’s care: the Red Sea was parted, manna was divinely provided, water gushed from a rock. What more did they need?

You could say the Hebrew people were wandering in a wilderness that was far more profound than the sand and stones around them. Their faith was in matter, not in God, infinite Spirit—a misplaced confidence that resulted in resentment, doubt, fear, and ingratitude. In this mental desert, it’s small wonder it took them so long to hear the divine guidance that would enable them to reach their destination!

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