Finding God in the Desert of the Soul
Summarized Sermon from Buddy Owens
There can be three types of deserts or wilderness in our life:
(a) The heat and pressure in our life have turned way up.
(b) Our hearts have turned cold, with our passions gone.
(c) We have given out so much that we feel empty with nothing left to give.
Deserts may be a training ground. In the Bible, God met many significant figures in the wilderness, such as Moses. For example, in the desert, David earnestly sought God, and he learnt and grew. Psalm63:1.
So, if we are in the wilderness, try not to get out in a hurry. Try to learn from the experience. Then, at least we can reduce the chance of getting there again. Let the valley of pain, suffering and darkness become our door of hope. Hosea2:15. Trust Him that at the right time, He will lead us out.
When we are in the wilderness, keep doing what is right. Gal6:9. Also, consider doing the following:
(a) Prepare to meet God there. Isaiah40:3-5. Stay alert, make ourselves available, and wait for Him expectantly. Psalm 5:3.
(b) Plant seeds for spiritual growth. Listen to God’s word, retain it in a good and honest heart, and persevere to produce a crop. Luke8:11,15.
(c) Eliminate unnecessary distractions. Prepare a straight, smooth road for God—Raising up valleys, lowering mountains, straightening out crooked paths, and leveling rough spots. Isaiah40:3-4. Focus on important things and say no to unimportant ones. Set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians3:2.
(d) Search and remove idols from our hearts. They can be false things our culture worships that we sacrifice our life for. Do not imitate the culture around us but remove those idols from our life and from our lips. Hosea2:17. If we follow worthless idols, we will become worthless. 2Kings17:15. If we cling to worthless things, we will forfeit God’s love. Jonah2:8. Instead, we should replace passions for idols with passions for God.
(e) Praise God. Sing to Him because singing helps focus our attention. Psalms63:5,7. Hosea2:15. We can worship God with our songs, so keep songs in our hearts. That can be where God is going to meet us.
To conclude, if we are in the wilderness, learn from the experience. Wait for God, prepare for Him, and praise Him so His glory can be revealed for everyone to see. Isaiah40:3-5.
Summarized a sermon by Buddy Owens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWoRWyxvpEk from 20:30
(a) The heat and pressure in our life have turned way up.
(b) Our hearts have turned cold, with our passions gone.
(c) We have given out so much that we feel empty with nothing left to give.
Deserts may be a training ground. In the Bible, God met many significant figures in the wilderness, such as Moses. For example, in the desert, David earnestly sought God, and he learnt and grew. Psalm63:1.
So, if we are in the wilderness, try not to get out in a hurry. Try to learn from the experience. Then, at least we can reduce the chance of getting there again. Let the valley of pain, suffering and darkness become our door of hope. Hosea2:15. Trust Him that at the right time, He will lead us out.
When we are in the wilderness, keep doing what is right. Gal6:9. Also, consider doing the following:
(a) Prepare to meet God there. Isaiah40:3-5. Stay alert, make ourselves available, and wait for Him expectantly. Psalm 5:3.
(b) Plant seeds for spiritual growth. Listen to God’s word, retain it in a good and honest heart, and persevere to produce a crop. Luke8:11,15.
(c) Eliminate unnecessary distractions. Prepare a straight, smooth road for God—Raising up valleys, lowering mountains, straightening out crooked paths, and leveling rough spots. Isaiah40:3-4. Focus on important things and say no to unimportant ones. Set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians3:2.
(d) Search and remove idols from our hearts. They can be false things our culture worships that we sacrifice our life for. Do not imitate the culture around us but remove those idols from our life and from our lips. Hosea2:17. If we follow worthless idols, we will become worthless. 2Kings17:15. If we cling to worthless things, we will forfeit God’s love. Jonah2:8. Instead, we should replace passions for idols with passions for God.
(e) Praise God. Sing to Him because singing helps focus our attention. Psalms63:5,7. Hosea2:15. We can worship God with our songs, so keep songs in our hearts. That can be where God is going to meet us.
To conclude, if we are in the wilderness, learn from the experience. Wait for God, prepare for Him, and praise Him so His glory can be revealed for everyone to see. Isaiah40:3-5.
Summarized a sermon by Buddy Owens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWoRWyxvpEk from 20:30