LESSONS IN THE DESERT
Pr. James Victor Lubwama
Deuteronomy 8:2-5 (MSG)
"Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don’t live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from God’s mouth. Your clothes didn’t wear out and your feet didn’t blister those forty years. You learned deep in your heart that God disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child."
There is a place called a desert in every person's life. It can best be explained as a season of dryness, lack or scarcity. It is that season of insufficiency, a season of testing and trial. It is that time when things do not work out as expected. However, there are lessons for us to pick from it.
As a Christian, you should look at the desert differently. It is not a curse but rather a training ground for character development, faith nurturing and manifestation of the presence of God. If you observe your surrounding, you can see the presence of God in your life despite your predicament.
Through the desert, you learn God's faithfulness and provision. He will feed you with Manna and teach you His ways. Our help comes from God (Psalms 121)
Just like the Israelites, your clothes have not worn out and your feet have not blistered for the years you were without a job. Despite everything in your family, you are still standing and unknowingly many people look up to you; they seek you out for solutions to various problems yet your situation isn’t glossy too, but the only difference is that the presence of God shelters you. The Lord will cover you with His glory so that no one will know your current situation. You will shine brighter than others facing the same problems.
Exodus 13:21 (AMP)
"The [presence of the] Lord was going before them by day in a pillar (column) of cloud to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they could travel by day and by night."
During Exodus, the scorching sun did not touch the Jews, God provided an umbrella for them – pillar of cloud. In the same way, He will shelter you (Psalms 46:1-3). What befalls your enemies will not come to you (Psalms91)
Deuteronomy 8:2 (NLT)
“Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character"
As believers, we encounter various challenges, lack, and problems in the Salvation journey but we go through these hardships or desert so that God can nurture us character wise
God's work towards us is not only to make us healthy and wealthy but to change our character and transform our inner-man so that we bear likeness with Christ (Romans 8:29) - developing the character of Christ is life's most significant factor
The desert is two-folded - to the unbelievers it’s a punishment but to the children of God it’s a training ground filled with trials and lessons that nurture your character, sharpens your faith and prepares you for God's purpose and blessings ahead such that nothing will take you out of the love of God. (Romans 7:38-39) 

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