The Tent: A safe place for shepherds to reflect together
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PolarBear2
Joined: 30 Jan 2013 Posts: 5
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 6:13 pm Post subject: Third Wilderness |
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Wilderness can be a physical place as well as a state. Dr. Laniak wrote, “The wilderness is also associated with wild expectations. It is the tohu vevohu (“formlessness and voidâ€)7 into which God speaks a new creation†(page 24). I am currently in my third ‘wilderness’ journey and each one has been very different than the others.
My first wilderness journey came after I graduated from Bible College. I wanted to be a youth pastor. I was hired by Canada Post and spent four years as a letter carried. My wilderness was not a desert, but the Canadian cold in the winter and extreme heat in the summer. I would walk all day, house to house, delivering mail, thinking about the message I would teach in Sunday school or at the weekly youth meeting. Most days, I felt restless about not being in ministry fulltime. However, there were many days I felt content about simply being a mailman. After all, it was a good paying job, no one would bother me at work and I was volunteering 15-20 hours a week at my church. Eventually, God opened the doors for me to quit my job and move to the United States for seminary. The timing and blessings that came from this decision could only be described as miraculous. Delivering all the bills and ‘bad-news’ to people for four years was worth it to be delivering people the ‘Good-News’.
My second wilderness journey took place after serving fulltime in a US mega church for 10 years. While ministry was great, I knew God was leading me elsewhere. I could no longer eat, sleep or had the desire to continue leading a growing, flourishing and very healthy ministry. I resigned with nowhere to go other than knowing God was leading me elsewhere. Down deep, I thought it was back to Canada. After a year of travelling, missions work, talking with friends and pastors, I knew God definitely wanted me back in Canada. So I moved, with nowhere to go. I relinquished my US green card and placed all my possessions in storage. Within two days, I learnt about the church that would quickly hire me as one of their pastors. God’s timing was perfect.
My third wilderness journey has stretched me beyond my calling in ministry and anything else I have ever encountered in life. While working on my doctorate degree, I have also been ministering to my family through some unbelievably hard circumstances. I often feel like David fleeing from Saul or Job enduring the misery of suffering. What I learnt in my other two wilderness journeys was to always trust God, obey Him and continue to having hope, even when all seems lost. God uses the wilderness to test us, break us, mold us and sometimes prepare us for our next stage in ministry. I can’t wait to be out of this wilderness experience. I am looking for, with “wild expectations… into which God speaks a new creationâ€. Hopefully soon! |
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