Cries From The Wilderness

I spotted her as we turned the corner. A young woman sat on an old suitcase at a busy intersection holding up a sign. Written in large letters were: Homeless. No Food. Help me! In her lap sat a small brown chihuahua. My breath caught in my throat as I looked at her vacant eyes and stooped shoulders.

My husband pulled into a fast food restaurant for lunch near the intersection. I kept my eyes on the woman. After we parked, I made my way to the woman. The desire to speak to her was stronger than my growling belly.

As I approached the woman, I realized she was much younger than I had thought. Spotting me, she turned, giving a half-smile before quickly raising her hand to cover the hole left by a lost tooth. She kept casting her eyes down, rubbing the dog. At that moment I couldn’t imagine how she felt sitting on a street corner announcing to the world that she was desolate and in desperate need.  

   

Getting a little closer I smiled back, wanting her to feel less intimidated. Then I asked. “I saw your sign for help. Why are you homeless?”

“Got nowhere to go. Me and my husband lost our jobs.”

“Where do you go at night?”

She turned and pointed to a dilapidated white truck. “That’s our home. Me and my husband and two dogs live there.”

I had to take several deep breaths to keep from crying. I learned this strategy years ago when I worked with abused women. Don’t cry. They need your strength not your pity. 

“What’s your name?”

“Rachel.”

I drew closer. “Tell me about yourself.”

For the next few minutes I listened, and yes, I did cry. We both did. Rachel’s story was part of a growing crisis in our country. Homeless. Abuse. Addiction. Living life in desolation, a wilderness of not knowing how to survive or get out of a situation alive.

Rachel and her husband were roaming – from town to town, seeking help, and a place to settle, maybe put down roots. Town after town became a disappointment. Shelters refused to help them because of the dogs. Their skills were limited. Defeat. Discouragement. Depression. I sensed all this in her tone, speech, and posture.

What do you do when you face someone in the wilderness?

Pray.

“Can I pray for you?” I asked.

“Please!” This time Rachel smiled without covering her mouth and drew closer to me.

I put my hand on her shoulder. Horns honked, exhaust fumes filled the air, and tires screeched, but all dissolved as two women standing on a busy intersection began to pray.

Two amens sealed words sent to Heaven, beseeching God to intervene in Rachel’s life, to give her the courage, perseverance, and wisdom to keep moving forward in faith.

I reminded Rachel that our Savior, Jesus Christ, journeyed to the wilderness and was tempted by Satan. For forty days, Jesus fended off the temptations, and returned from the wilderness in victory.

Jesus knows all about life’s wilderness places. He proclaims He will never leave you alone; therefore, no one need fear for God will give you the strength to get through the crises and hard places in life (Isaiah 41:10). 

When I left Rachel, she was still smiling. Her situation had not changed, but I saw hope in her eyes. I believe prayer infused her with hope to carry on, knowing Jesus was trudging through the wilderness with her.

I’ve been in the wilderness seasons of life. Desolate, barren places. Lonely, hopeless places. Right now my prayer list is filled with many who are in the wilderness of cancer, divorce, job loss, addiction, depression, and hurt. 

“In the wilderness you give your greatest testimony to declare the love of Christ and your dependence on Him.” ~David Jeremiah

Lord, how do we navigate the wilderness of life? How do we come through them with victory?

1. Remember. “You shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness.” (Deuteronomy 8:2-3)

Fanny Crosby wrote, “All the way my Savior leads me, what have I to ask beside? Can I doubt His tender mercy, who through life has been my Guide?”

Remember God’s Word, His character, His promises, and the wonder of Who He is. This is the first thing we do when faced with trouble. Create a God-centered hope through remembering that all the world’s forces and authorities are under God’s control.

      2.  Remembering clarifies your purpose in this life. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

The Bible speaks of our faith journey as being like an athlete in training. We train hard. We learn about God through His Word. We establish a God-centered life, pushing against the winds of trial with a central focus and perseverance. We feel the Father’s hand on our back. We push onward, remembering Who champions us.

3.Remember God is our Shepherd. “The Lord is my Shepherd. I lack nothing.” Psalm 23:1
 

John 10:11-15 states, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

Remember the Shepherd died for you. And in His death He rescued you to be able to have eternal life with Him. When you are in the wilderness, the good Shepherd is with you, watching over you, loving you.

Remembering draws our life back into a God-centered life. Being centered and focused allows the wilderness journey to be one of growth rather than fear and discouragement. 

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

When we learn to trust God through the rough times, the trials and temptations, and the wilderness, then we will begin to see life through God’s lens.

On the next street corner you pass you might see Rachel. Or Ben? Or Denisha? Remember what God has done for you. Offer His love to someone else. Even the small ways matter.

“Dear God, I just want someone to love me, someone to talk to when I need to talk. Someone to cry on when I need to cry. Most of all someone to love me and walk as far as they wish through my life. Amen.” (A child’s prayer in “God, thank you for the morning” by Sister Patricia A. Cruise, S. C.)

God bless you always,

Angela Beach Silverthorne