\tNow Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert.\t
Exodus 3:1\t
It seems God often plants His people in the desert before He uses them.
Elijah was a man of the desert.
John the Baptist grew up in the desert regions of the Dead Sea.
Paul spent the three years following his conversion in the deserts of Arabia.
John the revelator was banished to the desert isle of Patmos.
Like you, I have gone through desert times, dry seasons when I have wondered, "Lord, where’s Your presence and where’s Your power?” But, as the years have gone by, I have come to understand that those desert times are imperative if I am to be one who is not dependent upon my feelings or my emotions. Desert seasons are essential for me to come to a place where I can say, "Lord, You promised You would be with me. You promised You would never leave me no matter how dry the times might be or how solitary the setting might seem. The fact of the matter is, Your Word has been given and You’re teaching me to stand upon it rather than sink in my own emotions.”
Over the years, I have seen lots of talented people in all sorts of ministries fall away because their emotions, rather than the Word, dictated their walk. Emotions go up and down. Emotions are fickle. Emotions are affected by how our job is going, how our family is doing, or how much pizza we had the previous evening. But because God wants us to be stable and solid, to walk by faith and not by feelings, He will put us into a desert place where we, like Moses, must learn to be content and say, "Lord, You’ve given me the promise of Your Word. And that is all I need.”